Mouthful: Celebrating fall bounty in Sonoma County

Fall Jamboree: On Sunday, the Windsor Famers Market hosts its Fall Jamboree, a celebration of giant pumpkins, gourds, apples, pears and more. The day includes pumpkin car races, pumpkin carving and painting, a presentation of the winners of the Scarecrow Contest, a plant sale by the Windsor Garden Club and morning mimosas by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. Windsor High School Culinary Class will present a Parade of Fall Harvest Desserts, there will be an opportunity to make a scarecrow to take home and there will be lots of country-style games. The Fourth Street Jazz Band and the Mighty Chiplings will provide live entertainment throughout the fete.

In addition, there will be made-to-order omelets, breakfast burritos and biscuits and gravy, Bloody Marys, fresh apple juice, cofee and tea.

The market takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Windsor Town Green. For more information, visit windsorfarmersmarket.com.

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Harvest Hoedown: On Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., the Sebastopol Grange (6000 Highway 12, Sebastopol) hosts a Harvest Hoedown, Barn Dance and BBQ, a benefit for the seventh-grade class of the Sebastopol Charter School.

Activities include a cakewalk, country market featuring crafts and pumpkins, a petting zoo, a pumpkin sling shot, a cider press, family portraits and games for kids. There will be story telling, a performance by the seventh-grade choir and live music by the SICS Alum band Far and Away.

The barbecue menu features chicken, vegetable skewers, vegetarian chili, salad and corn bread. Beverages and drinks will be available, too.

Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for kids aged 15 and under. Tickets are available at brownpaperticketes.com and at the door.

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Pinot Alert: The 12th Annual Russian River Valley Pinot on the River takes place this Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Healdsburg Plaza. The tasting features current releases, special bottlings, library wines and more from the West Coast.

The Grand Tasting opens for those with early access passes at 11 a.m. General access is at noon.

At 3 p.m., judges will present several Special Achievement in Pinot Noir trophies. At 3:30, a check representing proceeds from the event will be presented to Boys and Clubs.

General admission is $75 in advance, $85 for early admission and $100 at the door.

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Moroccan at the Oasis: On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Safari West (3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa) is hosting 'Meet Us at the Oasis,' a benefit for Safari West Wildlife Foundation, which helps fund wildlife experiences for thousands of school children from throughout the Bay Area.

The event has a Moroccan theme, with belly dancers and a sumptuous menu. Dinner highlights include carrot dip; tapenade with harissa; grilled tiger prawns; Moroccan meatballs with arugula and yogurt; chickpea soup; chicken, olive and lemon tagine; Moroccan beef stew and vegetarian tabbouleh. Dessert will be a buffet of cupcakes and macarons.

Dinner is $125 per person. If you'd like to spend the night, you'll pony up $500, which includes the dinner extravaganza, overnight accommodations and a mimosa breakfast.

Things get started at 4 p.m. and costumes are encouraged. For reservations, call Corrine Bishop at 566-3613 or email cbishop@safariwest.com.

There's more coming soon at this local treasure. The ongoing conservation lecture series continues on Oct. 31 with Nor Cal Bats, a presentation by Corky Quirk. On Nov. 14, Dale Anderson, founder of Project Survival's Cat Haven, will talk about jaguar conservation efforts and introduce you to some adorable jaguar cubs. Lectures are presented to dinner and overnight guests for no additional charge.

Savannah Cafe is now serving lunch ($12 for kids aged 4 to 12, $15 for adults) and dinner ($17 for kids, $29 for adults) daily.

For complete details, times and menus, visit safariwest.com.

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Cook Globally: Chef Bea Beasley has announced the topics of her October and November cooking classes, which take place on the edge of downtown Santa Rosa.

On Friday, Oct. 30, class will focus on pumpkin, with pumpkin arancini, pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust, pumpkin, chocolate and brie grilled cheese and more. Cost of is $65 per person and the class takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the topic is tamales, with chicken verde tamales, green chile and cheese tamales and desserts tamales on the menu. Class is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and cost is $65 per person.

Other topics include Make Ahead Party Food on Nov. 6; Gifts from the Kitchen on Nov. 14 and Taste of the Big Easy on Nov. 18.

For complete details and to register, call 595-5301 or email beabea@sonic.net.

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Howl-o-ween Celebration: Bring your pampered pups to Topel Tasting Room (123 Matheson St., Healdsburg) on Saturday, Oct. 31, from noon to 5 p.m. for a special celebration and release of the brand new 2016 Topel Wine Tails Calendar, which benefits Green Dog Rescue Project. The calendar features portraits of wine country pups and sells for $20 each.

Pet Psychic Marla Steele will give complimentary pet readings from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and artist Steven Javiel will be on hand to paint pet portraits for a nominal fee.

There will be treats for pups and sips and nibbles for humans. Dogs in costumes automatically qualify for the Doggie Costume Contest.

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Home-Cooked Pizza: On Wednesday, Oct. 28, chef Dario De Conti of Ca'Momi appears at the Sonoma's Williams-Sonoma (605 Broadway). His demonstration takes place from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., during which time you'll learn all you need to know to make Napoletana-style pizza at home. De Conti is the only California chef certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association. Admission is free.

Farmers Market News: This Sunday, Oct. 25, is the final market of the year for the Bodega Bay Farmers Market. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2255 Highway 1, Bodega Bay. The final Forestville Farmers Market for 2015 is next Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Russian River Vineyards (5700 Gravenstein Highway North, Forestville). Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market wraps up its 2015 season next Friday evening, Oct. 30. On Halloween, the Santa Rosa Community Farmers Market (at the Veterans Building) celebrates with pumpkin decorating, prizes for the best decorated vendors booths, treats for kids and more, with costumes encouraged. The market takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the east side parking lot of the Veterans Memorial Building, at the corner of Brookwood Ave. and Maple St.

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November Nibbles: On Saturday, Nov. 14, Bodega Land Trust hosts its 23rd annual Community Dinner and Silent Auction from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at McCaughey Hall (17240 Bodega Highway) in Bodega. Dinner will be prepared by local chefs and classical guitarist Pablo Rodriguez will provide the evening's entertainment. Cost is $20 per person.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, Spoonbar (219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) hosts an evening with Matt Norelli, winemaker at Preston Farm & Vineyard (and half of the Huge Large duo). The evening begins with a selection of snacks and vegetables, including marinated fennel and cabbage with tomato vinaigrette; winter squash soup with rhubarb and horseradish and sweet potatoes roasted in lemongrass with Preston sesame seeds and green curry aioli. Next comes Preston lamb with kale, merguez and black bean stew and more, including warmed quince and walnut cake with smoked guava consommé and brown butter sherbet for dessert. Everything will be paired with Preston wines and Preston breads. Tickets, which are essential, are $60 each and available at eventbrite.com.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Book Passage and Spinster Sisters (401 South A St., Santa Rosa) host a special dinner featuring two of my most recent books, 'The Good Cook's Book of Oil & Vinegar' and 'The Good Cook's Book of Salt & Pepper.' Cost is $95 per person, which includes a signed copy of one of the books, your choice. For reservations, call (800)999-7909 or visit bookpassage.com and follow the prompts. If you would like a copy of the menu, visit the event's Facebook page.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books to date, including the new 'Good Cook's' series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You'll find her blog, 'Eat This Now,' at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.