West Marin's Greatest Hits

This Boston Globe article by Jonathan Levitt does a great job of capturing the spirit of West Marin as seen by a visitor.

Levitt's first recommendation is to pick up some artisan cheeses made by the Cowgirl Creamery at Tomales Bay Foods. The cheeses feature milk from another great local vendor, Straus Family Dairy.

Cowgirl Creamery's signature cheese, Mt. Tam. Photo courtesy of Cowgirl Creamery. Drool courtesy of you.

If you haven't gotten enough cheese through simply buying and consuming it, you'll no doubt want to get the most out of your creamery experience and sign up for a tour. I can assure you that unlike watching a sausage being made, watching cheese being made only enhances your enjoyment of the food afterward. Book in advance here to ensure that the tour doesn't get sold out, lest you spend the rest of your days weeping, wondering what might've been.

Now, devoted readers of this blog are well-acquainted with the people who won't go anywhere unless there are oysters present. You know who you are. With that in mind, next on Levitt's list of greatest hits is Drakes Bay Oyster Farms. To put it mildy, yes, there are oysters there. Fresh, clean, delicious oysters. Buy a net-full from Kevin the owner, sit on the shore at the edge of the continent with the rest of California at your back, and get to shucking.

The last of Levitt's picks that I need to mention is the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. If you've ever thought to yourself, "I love working on farms and Zen meditation, but I can never seem to do both in the same location," then this place might be for you.

GGFZC (clearly not named with its acronym in mind) puts on a slew of programs as diverse as the basics of bread making and the basics of composting, though presumably not at the same time.

There's a cool meditation/lecture/lunch program every Sunday that seems like a good deal for its suggested donation of $13. Side note: I'm pretty sure monks study kung fu so their suggestions of donations can hold a little more weight. As a rule, I usually listen to the suggestion of most people who can kill me five ways with two fingers.

So, tea ceremonies, cheese tours, and bivalves. And I didn't even cover half of Levitt's highlights. There's a great big world out there. Better start sharpening your oyster knife.