Mouthful: Wine, sunsets at Paradise

Sips at Sunset: Paradise Ridge Winery (4545 Thomas Lake Harris Dr., Santa Rosa) kicks off its 2014 season of Wines and Sunsets in Paradise next Wednesday, when the winery hosts a special event from 6 p.m. until the sun is down.

Here's how it works. The tasting room itself is closed, but you can purchase wines by the glass or bottle. On most Wednesdays, there will also be music. Food will be available for purchase, though you are invited to bring a picnic if you would like.

Wines and Sunsets in Paradise continues through October 22.

For information about the winery, visit prwinery.com.

The Art Of Eating Picnic: Audubon Canyon Ranch hosts a special picnic at The Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen on Sunday, May 18, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

This event will honor Marty Griffin and Carolyn Wente for their environmental work.

It also celebrates write M.F.K. Fisher, who lived and worked here in what she called Last House, a "palazzino" built especially for her.

The sit-down luncheon includes fried chicken from chef Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland and wines from Wente Vineyards in Livermore. There will be live and silent auctions, along with an exhibit called "Wine is Life."

As of press time, there were tickets available but registration closes on Monday, May 12. To register, visit egret.org and follow the prompts for the event. Cost is $125 for Audubon Canyon Ranch members and $150 for the general public.

All proceeds benefit the organization's educational programs, which reach out to more than 6,000 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders each year.

Get ready, get set, start your tomatoes: If you missed getting tomato seedlings, you have another opportunity on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when Kendall Jackson (5007 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa) hosts its annual heirloom tomato plant sale, along with a farm stand full of vegetables, herbs, fresh breads and pastries and other vegetable starts.

The sale features 125 varieties of tomatoes grown from the winery's own seeds.

Please bring boxes and bags for packing your purchases.

Happy Birthday, Siduri Wines: On Saturday, Adam and Dianna Lee are hosting a free open house to celebrate the winery's 20th anniversary. The fete takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The winery, which specializes in pinot noir, will be offering tastes of its entire portfolio of 36 wines from appellations throughout the West Coast. In addition, they will be pouring a selection of their Novy Family Wines, including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and zinfandel.

You can nibble on cheese, crackers and dried fruit between tastings.

The tasting will take place in the winery's cellar, at 981 Airway Court, Santa Rosa.

For more information about the winery, visit siduri.com and novyfamilywines.com.

Mother's Day at Dragonfly Farm: Dragonfly Farm is hosting a celebration Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store, where you can buy flowers and other delights, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At 10:30 a.m., Erin Urich will host a complimentary yoga class in the Willow Circle. All levels are welcome. Steve Pile will perform his style of blues from noon to 2 p.m. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Shalice Thomas will offer manicures and pedicures in the garden; cost is $15 for a 15-minute session.

There is so much more, including the option of pre-ordering a picnic basket from The Cheese Shop and sweets from Flour Girl (both in Healdsburg) to family portraits by Gretchen Gause Photography and design-your-own flower arrangements. For complete details and to have flowers waiting for you when you arrive, visit dragonflyhealdsburg.com.

More Mother's Day Options: If a restaurant is open on Sunday, there's a very good chance it will be honoring mothers with specials, flowers and more. If you have a favorite destination, check it out. Otherwise, here are a few of Ms. Mouthful's picks.

Rocker Oysterfellers Kitchen and Saloon (14415 Highway 1, Valley Ford) has a special prix fixe brunch menu, which is $32 per person. There's an a la carte kids' menu, too, for children 12 and under.

Highlights of the menu include raspberry-filled donut holes with lemon glaze; deviled farm eggs with olive tapenade and creme fraiche; Dungeness crab cake with pea tendril salad and sweet peas; Gulf shrimp and grits with red-eye gravy; Liberty Farms duck hash with farm eggs; strawberry French toast with Bellwether Farms ricotta, candied pecans and burnt orange syrup; local buffalo burger with bacon and pimento cheese and more.

Cafe Europe (104 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa) is serving both brunch and dinner on Mother's Day. Brunch is offered from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Highlights of the $25.94 menu include Dutch eggs benedict with smoked salmon; Dungeness crab and avocado omelette and grilled local Pacific king salmon.

If mama loves oysters, you might check out one of the county's newest eateries, Seaside Metal Oyster Bar (16222 Main St., Guerneville), which is open Sunday from 5 to 10p.m. The new restaurant is brought to us by the Selvera twins — Tim and Mike — of Bar Crudo fame.

Finally, the Windsor Farmers Market will host a tea and cookie tasting, with demonstrations and a free rose to the first 100 moms. The market takes place from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. Sunday at the Windsor Town Green.

Party at the Grange: Next Friday evening, May 16, the Sebastopol Grange Hall celebrates Wavy Gravy's 78th birthday with a screening of a bio flick about his life, "Saint Misheavin'" by filmmaker Michelle Esrick.

Wavy himself and Estrick will join in the fun, which will include an audience Q&A after the screening.

There will be popcorn, live music, balloons and, of course, birthday cake.

Admission is a sliding scale of $10 to $99; if you opt for $99, you'll get a signed DVD of the movie. All proceeds benefit the Grange.

The event is expected to sell out in advance so if you don't want to miss out, visit brownpapertickets.com or call 573-6049.

Wavy Gravy is known on the national scene by way of the film "Woodstock" but he has long been a fixture of fun and wisdom in the Bay Area and throughout Northern California. Every summer, dozens of local kids attend a session or two at his Camp Winnarainbow in Laytonville. For more information, visit campwinnarainbow.org.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. Email Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com. You'll find her blog, "Eat This Now," at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.