Sonoma County's new Harvest Fair

For over three decades Sonoma County has celebrated the harvest at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on the first weekend of October. At one time most local farming was covered with the two biggest crops being wine grapes and apples. This fair as recently morphed into just a wine tasting much to the dismay of many locals. Now they have an alternative!

There's a new harvest fair coming to town. The real cash crop is actually marijuana. It has a quasi-legal status meaning you have to get a card from a doctor saying you need a prescription for it, anyone can find a doctor that will give them a medical marijuana card, but the feds still think all this should be illegal.

The weekend of Dec14-15 the Emerald Cup will be held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds with farmers, vendors, and classes on growing your own, but instead of wine, it will be all about weed. Ten judges spent five weeks evaluating 257 samples for appearance, smell, tasting and effect. They judge wine similarly, except for the effect part--maybe they should will all the high alcohol wines out there. The Emerald Cup will be honoring the best in outdoor, organically grown pot. The first-place winner gets a two week trip to a marijuana-friendly resort in Jamaica!

There will be a "tasting area" for those with a medical marijuana card. At $50 to get in you'd have to be high to pay that unless you can sample.

The judging (image from pressdemocrat.com)

Press Democrat article