Weekend Along the Farm Trails sponsored by Sonoma County Farm Trails
Over 40 Farms Open the Barn Doors
2009, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sonoma County, CA –

On Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, dozens of local farmers and artisan producers throughout Sonoma County from Healdsburg to Petaluma will open their doors to tell the behind-the-scenes story of local food during Weekend Along the Farm Trails sponsored by Sonoma County Farm Trails.

Join local farmers for a weekend of tours, artisan foods, hands-on activities, cooking, pick-your-own, agricultural demonstrations, music and harvest. From hay rides to cheese-making, Weekend Along the Farm Trails offers a chance to experience Sonoma County's agricultural heritage. Participants of all ages will learn how and where their food is grown, and meet the farmers and artisans who produce it.

Admission is free to most farms: all you need is transportation, a map and a sense of adventure. The gates and barns of your local farms are wide open on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along the Sonoma County Farm Trails.

Free tour information and map available on www.farmtrails.org or visit Farm Trails FACEBOOK page for tales from the farms. Call Sonoma County Farm Trails for more information at (707) 837-8896.

Sonoma County Farm Trails is a non-profit organization formed in 1973 to promote buying fresh food directly from farms. Over 100 local farms and agricultural businesses comprise its membership

Pick up your free Farm Trails Guide for 2009 -  2010 at a local farm or business or email them and they will send you one for five dollars.

They are really nice this year with recipes and notes from local farmers as well as the typical maps and guides to all the local farms in Sonoma County.

 I heard about this on NPR and thought I would pass it on.....

I am happy to hear that "green" is going mainstream. There are some down sides to greening mass production that's done overseas ( as you will hear when you listen to this story), but I am still happy to hear about the direction we are slowly heading in.

  Zoe&Zac, the new "green" shoe collection from Payless Shoes, hit shelves last week on Monday, April 13. The collection offers shoes featuring organic cotton canvas, hemp, linen, EVA (non-PVC) foam beds, recycled rubber and water-based glues.

The entire collection for women and girls is offered at a budget friendly price of under $30. The packaging is also eco-smart and uses 100 percent recycled shoe boxes printed with soy-based inks.

Also, for every Zoe&Zac item bought, Payless will contribute $1 to The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Campaign.

Patchworks Farm is about awakening this broader notion of service in ourselves and in our young.Our process is to introduce the young and our ourselves to each persons personal inventory of skill and talent and then melding these assets with  broader understanding of service as full-time participation in the perpetuity of life.

Around mid-February we want to builda group of adults willing to commit to fostering this notion of service.We will call the group “Holy Flying Frogs”.our group motto will be LEAP- an acronym for Live simply, Educate for change, Advocate for justice,Practice faith.We will meet on Sundays at the farm Dirt Church”for discussion, interaction with the land, and celebration with the sharing of food etc.

If you or friends are interested in pursuing this thought, please all me at 542-6700 or on my cell phone at 228-6006.

Objectives of the Patchworks Collaborative:

• Build a sustainable-living collaborative consisting of schools, other non-profits and committed adults willing to support our mission
  
  
• Create an outdoor laboratory which would be a model sustainable "village" including 3 or 4 alternative energy projects, 3 models of low cost shelter, a comprehensive water conservation project and 3 acres of farmland
  
  
• Engage students and teachers each semester in land-based service-learning projects
  
  
• Raise $157,000. this fiscal year to help pay for projects and provide scholarships for students pursuing education in sustainable living
  
  
• Engage volunteers in projects who will mentor students and assist in work on the farm
  
  
• Build a community of friends willing to model sustainable living in their daily lives and intentionally lower their ecological footprint as a sign of hope for our children

 

CAn you imagine?? Could it get ANY better?!

 http://www.thewhofarm.org/

I just got back from a big Costco trip this a.m. and continue to be impressed with all the organic itmes they are carrying. I bought organic cage free brown eggs, organic chicken, beef, milk, coffee, cereal, ketchup, lettuce, spinach, carrots, butter, spaghetti sauce, and pasta.

There were several other organic items I didn't buy today but I am pleased with the widening selection they offer on organic foods. They even sell some organic cotton clothes. 

We buy our ECO brand laundry soap there and now they offer a Kirkland brand organic laundry detergent too so you have more than one choice.For washing cloth diapers, I buy bulk vinegar and baking soda at Costco which saves a lot of money. 

Does anyone else have good tips on saving money on organic / local food / goods? 

I posted about this a while ago but I wanted to remind all of you about the Weekend Along Farm Trails weekend

September 27 and 28 in Sonoma County.  

Our family and some friends have been the last 2 years and really loved it. We milked cows, pulled potatoes, climbed hay pyramids, hid in corn mazes, found pumpkins, picked apples, pet all kinds of farm animals, samples cheese and ice cream made from local dairys.......

If you make a weekend out of it, you can visit a lot of farms and your kids will love it.

Some of the activities include:

• Special farm tours
• See animals on the farm
• Visit pumpkin patches with fun activities for kids
• Learn gardening and landscaping tips
• Visit unique nurseries with a variety of plants
• Meet Sonoma County food artisans
• Taste freshly picked fruit and vegetables
• Connect with the farmer that grows your food
• Savor a restaurant meal featuring local ingredients
• Visit wineries during crush and harvest season

September 27 & 28, 2008  ~   10 a.m. – 5 p.m. , Saturday & Sunday

Jennifer K, our mutual friend, and I went U-picking organic strawberries last week Friday at  Love Farm in Healdsburg (10 miles north of Santa Rosa). One thing I love about the whole idea of visiting local farms is how accessible the farmers are. When we first arrived at the farm, there appeared to be no one around. However there was a cell phone number posted on their outdoor bulletin board and literally 1 minute after calling the number,  the woman farmer arrived, very welcoming and said we could help oursleves to all the strawberries we could eat while we were there. (Rosemary and I took her up on it. Never tell either one of us there is free food around becasue we will take you up on it !!!! : ) She only charged $3.50 a basket for some of the best organic strawberries I have ever eaten. And they were beautiful. Bright red with no blemishes, which is hard to understand, especially with organic but there they were. Some of the most gorgeous strawberries I had ever seen. 

Anyway, it was a fun experience with the little kids watching their excitement about picking strawberries and  there was an ostrich at Love farm who was an attraction for them too. If you are local and can get to Love Farm between now and November, I would highly recommend it. (The farmer said they have strawberries through November....wow!)

With summer coming to an end (BOO HOO, it has really flown by) my favorite U-pick season is almost upon us. FALL!!! I love picking apples, pulling potatoes, and checking out the pumpkin patches. If you haven't already, check out the Farm Trails guide for 2008. It's educational, virtually free and so much fun with the kids.

If you make it to Love Farm and have will power and happen to have some  strawberries left by the time you get home (we barely did), here is a yummy recipe I found: 

Strawberry-Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

 - 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 375 and grease 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.

In a bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and blend until fluffy. Mix in the milk and the almond extract. In a separate bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and blend until just combined. Fold in the strawberries and almonds. Fill the muffin cups to the top and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins.

This afternoon, I have been listening to an interview on NPR's "Speaking of Faith" with Barbara Kingsolver regarding her family's year of eating only locally and seasonally. A year she writes about in her book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which I think I have mentioned a few times on this blog. Such a fantastic book!!! I would encourage anyone looking for a good summer read to pick it up.

Anyway, this is an interview that will give you a taste of what her book is about.

Some of the questions explored are:

-How did we (the U.S.) get to the place we are now where eating locally and seasonally is considered "elite"? 

-What are the hidden costs of  eating cheap food from the grocery store and  fast food? Why don't those costs turn up in our grocery bills?

-What has the effect of the U.S. Farm Bill been on our health and the environment? 

-How can eating locally reinforce the idea of gratitude?

Since summer / fall seems to fill up fast, I wanted to give you an early heads up for the "Farm Trails Weekend" which this year will be the weekend of September 27-28.

We visited about 8-9 farms last year during their farm trails weekend and LOVED it. The kids dug potatoes out of the ground, milked cows, picked fruit and vegetables, saw all kinds of animals, and in general got a real flavor of the local Sonoma County farms. I would highly recommend it!!!!

I just ran across this website that has pictures of Walmart mislabeling non organic food as organic.  Bad Walmart!

Upon Jen A.'s recommendation, the kids and I went to:

PACIFIC STAR GARDENS

20872 County Road 99, Woodland 95773

Telephone: (530) 666-7308

Hours: Apr-Oct

Farm stand and U-pick operation selling apricots, strawberries, melons, mixed vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, pumpkins, transplants, flowers and more! Field trips and farm tours also available.

while visiting family in that area. The entire farm is organic and the kids and I had a so much fun picking strawberries, apricots, leeks, garlic, and onions. Not only were the prices right but we got to talk to the farmer, learn a little history of the farm, and Noah got to ride on his tractor. You can't do that in a grocery store and you can't get organic produce for $2 a pound either.

I highly recommend taking time to visit farms this summer and fall  when there is so much to eat and see. It's also a great educational experience for kids who otherwise  might think that our food comes FROM the grocery store. 

For a list of farms in Somona County including their location, hours you can visit and what the grow, please visit farmtrails.org

If you live in the Sacramento/Woodland area, you can find more information here 

 If you live in a different area and have information on farms in your area please let us know.

The Downtown farmers market in Santa Rosa began last night.

FREE each Wed night 

May through August

5:30 - 8 pm along 4th street

Local farmers, vendors and activities for children.

A great venue to get local, organic produce, cheese, bread and meat. 

I enrolled at the JC to take a Wedding Cake class. Saturday was my 1st class. The teacher explained that the Culinary Center only uses Fresh, Local, Organic food.  In order to make our Wedding Cake next Saturday, we had to come up with a design were we couldn't use food coloring or fake extracts. We could use fresh flowers if we wanted too.

Well, I really wanted to use Jelly Beans, but I couldn't.  As of right now, my cake will be totally white.  I really want it to have a touch of color.  So, I was doing some research on organic food color.  Much to my surprise!  You can make color from other natural foods.

Here's some links:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-natural-easter-egg-dyes.html

http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/homemade-organic-paint-soap-for-kids/

http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa020298a.htm

 And Vanilla extract

http://www.chow.com/stories/10956

 So, now I'm off to go figure out how to color a sample of the organic frosting I was given.

This is so cool to know. Another step in making my business "green"! 

Okay...ethical dilemma here. Let's hear what you all think....

Walmart now carries a wide range of organic products and food. With lower prices than most (if not all)  other venues.

Do you feel it is ethical for you to shop at WALMART to support the organics they now sell? 

Or, is the idea of shopping at WALMART for organic products a paradox? 

What do you think? 

This was the title of a recent NY Times article on the rising price of food around the globe and particularly organic foods.

It is an interesting and complicated subject because there are so many factors involved, i.e. a growing middle class around the world demanding more meat and dairy, global warming effects on crops and farming, U.S. economic slow down in every area,  higher fuel costs, rising demand and a tight supply of the grains needed for animal feed and bakery items, etc etc.

........demand for organic wheat, soybeans and corn is so great that farmers are receiving unheard-of prices. But people who have to buy organic grain, from bakers and pasta makers to chicken and dairy farmers, say they are struggling to maintain profit margins, even though shoppers are paying more. The price of organic animal feed is so high that some dairy farmers have abandoned organic farming methods and others are pushing retailers to raise prices more aggressively. Several organic manufacturers worry that sales may slow as consumers cut back......

Americans spent $16.7 billion on organic food and beverages in 2006, a 126 percent increase in just five years, according to the Organic Trade Association, an industry trade group. Organic sales account for about 2.8 percent of food and beverage sales in the United States, the group says.

The United States had 4.1 million acres of organic farmland in 2005, triple the amount in 1997, according to the Department of Agriculture, which regulates the organic industry. But farmers and grain buyers say the growth of new organic acreage has slowed, falling short of rising demand and causing organic grain prices to soar.

Here is what a few organic consumers said in the article on how they will deal with rising prices or food (organic in particular) "

At the Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op in St. Paul, Shaun Hainey, 26, said he had quit smoking and cut back on drinking and “superfluous recreational spending, like going skiing.” But he and his wife, Cassandra Hainey, have not cut back on organic food.“We don’t foresee a price level at which we’d stop shopping organic,” he said.

But Scott Cordes, a 33-year-old budget analyst for the city of St. Paul, has found the high prices hard to bear. He now buys conventional 1 percent milk for $4.09 rather than spending $6.99 on a gallon of organic milk. Still, he does not expect to forgo organic foods altogether.

 So what do you think? I know for almost all of us , paying extra money for organic groceries is really a strain on the budget and especially now that food is rapidly becoming more and more expensive. 

-Which oragnic foods / products (if any) are a must for you?

-Which could you live without?

-What creative things do you or will you do to afford organic foods/products ? 

Joaquin and I went to the performance part of this great traveling educational program called Common Vision. I'm very inspired by the work of this volunteer group. I would highly recommend viewing their calendar and participating someday with your kids if you have the chance. It is fun, green, participatory and educational! Great drumming and dance too! View the video on the website for an overview of the program.

I give a green-thumbs-up to this program! 

Jen A. found this article and we both love this idea. It's an organic cafe where there is no set menu and no set prices. People pay what they think their meal is worth and if they don't have the money to pay for it, they pay it off through volunteering at the restaurant. 

Because customers choose their portions, Cerreta says, there tends to be little or no waste. If you turn up at One World and are short on cash, volunteer for an hour—washing dishes, cleaning or working in the organic garden—to earn a meal voucher. Every day, a traditional Indian meal of dal and rice is provided free. Cerreta’s One World Everybody Eats foundation wants to put a community kitchen in every city. 

Part of why I love this idea is because it makes organic, healthy food accessible to everyone. Often times, organic food has the stigma that it is only for rich people. I used to think that. However, I think if you know where and how  to shop (i.e. farmers markets, bulk section, seasonly, etc) almost everyone can have access to healthy, organic food.  I would love to know how this cafe and others that have popped up around the country that are similar fund themselves??

Does anyone know? 

It's that time of year to get seed starters going and think about planning a garden for any of you who are gardeners or just want to try it out.  I know many people don't have a lot of space in their backyard for a garden. However, gardens don't have to be big. Herbs can be grown in a window box in the kitchen or in pots on the porch. In fact, it's amazing what one tomato plant will produce in a season. 

For those of you interested in buying some good quality organic seeds, there are two websites I recommend:

Seeds of Change

Seed Savers Exchange

Here is an excerpt from the Seeds of Change website.....

Seeds of Change was born in 1989 with a revolutionary mission: To make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture.

and from Seed Savers website...

Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic and cultural heritage.

Our organization is saving the world’s diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity. Few gardeners comprehend the true scope of their garden heritage or how much is in immediate danger of being lost forever.

Gardening is a great way to have organic produce without paying much for it at all. It's also a great learning opportunity for you and your kids and is a fun way to teach children about nature, plant life, seasons, etc... 

I found this article on the internet yesterday that recommended 12 foods consumers should try and purchase organic because of how heavily laden with pesticides they are. The article recognizes that many people cannot afford to buy organic all the time but this is the top 12 list that should be consumers priority when buying organic.

The top 12 include:

Meat

Dairy

Peaches

Strawberries 

Coffee

Apples

Peppers

Celery

Lettuces

Grapes

Tomatoes

Potatoes  

The Organic Consumer Association recently came out with the results of their study on  "natural" and "organic" beauty product brands. The study looked at the ingredients of some of the leading brands and found that some trusted brands were found to have undisclosed carcinogenic ingredients. For further information, check out their study.

Just another reminder that the labels "natural" and "organic" cannot always be trusted........ 

I was listening to the Public Radio International (PRI) show "The World" yesterday and thought this was a really interesting story  (click on "wheat prices soar") about  the effect that  corn over-production is having on wheat production which then has an effect on  prices of goods at the supermarket, oil at the pump and ultimately global poverty. Corn production has trumped and wiped out so many of our other traditional U.S. crops in the recent decades since the dawn of processed foods (high fructose corn syrup and the like), eating more animals world wide (as developing countries become more affluent) who are fed on corn and now our vehicles are starting to be run on corn. As a result of the over production of corn, there has been some severe environmental and social consequences. I hope you have a chance to listen to the story (link above). It sums this up in about 4 minutes. However, if you are interested in learning more, I am reading a book by Michael Pollan (who was interviewed for the story), author of the books among others, In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto and Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.

Currently I am reading Omnivores Dilemma which I think would make a great GreenMommy book club selection if anyone is interested in reading along with me.

The omnivore’s dilemma has returned with a vengeance, as the cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet confronts us with a bewildering and treacherous food landscape. What’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth.......

Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating.  His absorbing narrative takes us from Iowa cornfields to food-science laboratories, from feedlots and fast-food restaurants to organic farms and hunting grounds, always emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the handful of plant and animal species we depend on.  Each time Pollan sits down to a meal, he deploys his unique blend of personal and investigative journalism to trace the origins of everything consumed, revealing what we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods and flavors reflects our evolutionary inheritance.

In this week's Bohemian (a free North Bay weekly publication), an article was featured on the new renaissance in meat eating. It's a quick read that explains the history of meat eating (from family farms, to factory farms, to vegan, to vegetarian to mad cow and now....back to the pasture (full circle). The "back to the pasture" meat eating movement which is starting to become popular is a opportunity for meat eaters to eat meat with less impact on the environment and less cruelty to the animals. Vegetarians of course have the least impact on the environment and the animals who are (or aren't eaten) but if you eat meat, the back to the pasture movement in meat eating is a great alternative.

Here are some excerpts from the article.... however I think  the entire article is a quick and informative read if you have time to follow the link above......

.....just as the discovery of mad cow disease and the unsavory details of factory farming and stockyard practices came to light, organic farmers began raising chickens not only for eggs, but also for their meat. Looking to the free-pastured practices of West Marin's own Niman Ranch—not to mention the profitability of chops, steaks and roasts bearing the Niman brand—ranchers began putting pigs on their pastures, letting them roam and forage freely before taking them down to the road to be slaughtered, and then selling the all-natural, artisan-butchered cuts at farmers markets and small local restaurants........All of this expands the possible solutions to the "omnivore's dilemma," a term coined by psychologist Paul Rozin and popularized in the book of the same name by Michael Pollan. Centering on the issue of choosing what to eat when you can eat everything and anything, the dilemma seems to have eased, thanks to the growth of traditionally raised, naturally fed and humanely treated animals.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system for buying meat in the North Bay: 

 As with fruit and vegetables, the trend in meat is toward sustainable, locally raised and organic. But unlike with plants, there has so far been no CSA system in which growers provide their products direct from farm to consumers. That's all changing with the Sonoma County Meat Buying Club. Here's how it works: club members sign up for three months of food at a time, designating whether they want seven, 15 or 25 pounds of meat per month. Each month, a different provider is highlighted and the packages feature a mix of beef, pork and lamb in prime and unusual cuts. Members receive a handmade designer bag to pack their products in, as well as special sauces and butters to accompany the food, rancher bios to better learn where it came from and laminated recipe cards from UC Davis that tell how to prepare the stuff.....It comes out to $7 or less a pound.

My husband and I have talked about eating less meat and then trying to buy the bulk of the meat we do eat from a Meat Buying Club such as the one mentioned in the article. What are your thoughts?

An email that came to me from the Organic Consumers Action group  featured a study that showed that children who ate conventional (non-organic) food were  found to have varying levels of pesticides in their bodies.

A new peer-reviewed study found levels of nerve-gas like pesticides in the bodies of children who eat conventional foods. Researchers found that if a child switched to an organic diet, the pesticide disappeared from the child's urine within 36 hours. Organophosphates were designed during WWII specifically to kill humans and later evolved into commonly used pesticides for food crops. The study has not yet linked the pesticide levels to specific foods, but other studies have shown peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, nectarines, strawberries and cherries are among those that most frequently have detectable levels of pesticides. 

Although I don't buy organic everything 100% of the time, this study is a good reminder to do it as often as we can afford to.

To all the green mommy's and families out there....

Community Supported Agriculture is a perfect way to put your values into action. A way to support local farmers, community, organic food and wellness, with less impact on our world. With the new year ahead, I have made the choice to support CSA's through Capay Valley's Farm Fresh to You, home delivery CSA program. I hope you will do the same! Get $10 off your first delivery box by putting in the code 8356 when signing up online at:

http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/fftoyou_info.php

More info can be found at the above link, but here is a brief summary:

 What is CSA?
CSA is simply a box of fresh, local, organic, seasonal produce directly from a farm. It's part of a connection to your food and it's source...a relationship between farmer and the urban landscape.
Why CSA?
CSA comes directly from the local farmer to you. This reduces the impact on the environment on many levels. The food travels far less, uses less resources in getting to you, has less packaging, and is not treated with pesticides so it is healthier for our bodies as well as the earth. CSA's support the goal of community and conscious living.
Where can I try out a CSA?
Capay Organic, a Capay valley family farm that has been around since 1976, has a home-delivery CSA program called "Farm Fresh to You". They have fruit/veggie boxes to your door for $21.50 or $29, with your choice of weekly/biweekly/monthly delivery. No contracts. You can change delivery schedule to fit your needs, place vacation holds, skip weeks, or suspend service at any time. You even have some flexibility as to what goes in your box.

They make it pretty easy to see if you even like the idea of CSA.
How do I sign up or get more info?
Go to:
http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/fftoyou_info.php

Get more info, check delivery areas, and learn more about the farm. First-timers can get $10 off their first box by putting in 8356 in the promo code box when signing up.

Cheers to a greener 2008! 

I have seen the brand Earthbound Farms many times when purchasing organic produce from Costco, Safeway and other big chain stores.

I am sure because they are such a big operation, there are some downsides to their farming techniques and maybe some short cuts they take but I thought their website was interesting to check out. 

It looks like they have U-pick and an organic kitchen at their headquarters in Carmel. It would be fun to check out some time if ever in that area.

As parents we want what is best for our kids, as Green parents we try to give them the best in a natural way. There are many things in the world that we have no control of but we DO have the ability to control what we bring into and use in our homes. These choices will gently influence who our children grow up to be and how they, in turn, will greatly influence our world.

I came across a site that informs about these exact issues called Healthy Child, Healthy World. It seems to be an invaluable resources for parents, child care providers and teachers who want to give the kids around them the healthiest start at life. Recently, Shaklee teamed up with this organization and released a DVD outlining the 5 easy steps we as parents can take to provide a healthy environment for our kids. 

I recommend looking around the site, they have a great video library, easy checklists and a wealth of information for parents like us. 

I came across an ad in Body and Soul Magazine that outlined the different labels related to the word organic, I thought I would pass it on. 

• "100% Organic" products contain only organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).
• "USDA Certified Organic" items contain95% or more organic ingredients.
• "Made with organic ingredients" means that a product includes 70-95% organic ingredients. 

I knew that organic meant no pesticides, but here is a more complete definition: 

Organic foods are produced without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, added antibiotic and hormones, genetic engineering and irradiation. They are also minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.  

Hope that helps! 

I read about Oxbow Public Market in a magazine last week and wanted to share it with you. It's grand opening is somtime in the next month or so. It would be fun to check it out some afternoon this winter.

Oxbow Public Market and its artisans and purveyors passionately support the concept of sustainable agriculture and local harvest—promoting a healthy environment, and social and economic equity within our community.......

Oxbow Public Market has a commitment to the unique character, spirit and content of the Public Market not only as a place to display and sell organic and/or sustainably produced local crops, other regional specialties, and other high quality and unique food products, but also as a place that actively supports sustainable and organic farming practices, owner-operated businesses, local food producers, and the agricultural community of the Napa Valley and surrounding regions.

There is a similar market that I visit when in San Francisco at the Ferry Building. You can  learn more about it by checking out this website.

This has been discussed before but may still be helpful to some. I came across a list called "The Dirty Dozen" that tells you which fruits and vegetables have the highest amount of pesticides on or in them(apples are the worst!). Alternatively it also gives you "The Clean 12", which are basically the 12 produce products that can be bought non-organic if need be(non-organic bananas are a-okay). Here is the rest of the list:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported (Chili)
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

 And the Clean 12:

• Bananas (though you may try to purchase "Fair Trade" bananas)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Onions
• Peas

I know that for me and my family the grocery budget is something I have top keep a close eye on. Cutting corners and living frugally is what enables me to be a stay at home mom. As much as we would like to, we aren't able to eat 100% organic. This list (and the accompanying site), is a great help when it comes to spending wisely. I feel like I can still make a difference in what my family eats and give less support to those farms that use harmful pesticides.

Now that Cameron and I have both read Barbara Kingsolver's latest book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", we are excited to really put some thought into next years garden. Usually we have just thrown things in at the last minute (late spring) and end up with your standard tomatoes, herbs and a few heads of lettuce.....We are going to try and do something a little more elaborate next year that will hopefully help us cut down on the amount of food we have to buy that may not be local or organic. Right now we are looking at which winter cover crops will be most beneficial. Cover crops are grown primarily to prevent soil erosion by wind and water,as well as suppress weeds and reduce insect pests and diseases. We also thinking about using heirloom seeds as we learned through reading Kingsolvers book how many species of animals and plants have gone or are going extinct due to plant genetic erosion. Seed Savers Exchange is a great website to buy heirloom seeds as well as learn more about genetic erosion and why we should be concerned.

One of the families at David's school owns www.elementalfour.com

A Sonoma County company selling sustainable clothing, check it out! 

The Press Democrat had an interesting article yesterday about how to decipher labels such as "organic", "free-range" and "free-roaming" , "all natural" etc. The article gave a crash course in understanding organic food labels from Consumer Reports.

I think as the organic food/product business has been growing and as more interest in it has developed, there have been some companies that are trying to cash in on consumers paying higher prices for their food with these labels by being deceptive in their marketing practices.

It is helpful to have this information to be a more informed consumer and know what we are really spending our money on and putting on the table. 

Over the summer, the House passed a version of the Farm Bill that's almost identical to the current unfair Farm Bill -- the one that's been paying subsidies to millionaires instead of investing to help organic agriculture grow. Now its up to the Senate to give organic farming support and affirmation. It is important for us to call our Senators and ask them to support the Grow Organics Proposal.

If you do have the chance to call, write or email your Senator to support the Grow Organics Proposal, which will invest an additional $1 billion in organics over the next 5 years, here are a few points you can make about the Grow Organics Proposal.

The Proposal will support local farmers markets and community supported agriculture, assist farmers converting to organic, increase research on organic, chemical-free pest control, boost conservation aid to help organic farmers take good care of our land and environment and put more healthy, U.S.-grown organic food on families tables.

There may have already been a post about this company in months past so forgive me if I am repeating....

Taylor Maid Farms in Sebastopol (a local company) sells fairly traded, organic, shade grown coffee.

You can purchase from their website or from their store or other local vendors.

For more information, visit their website: www.taylormaidfarms.com

On Thursday November 29, 2007, Food For Thought - Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank, will have their 6th Annual Dining Out For Life night of dining.

You can dine out at a participating restaurant and either 25% or 50% of your food bill will be donated to Food For Thought. Some restaurants will be donating the same percentage of alcohol sales as well. I noticed on their list of participating restaurants that there are several restaurants in Sonoma County who are participating in the "Dining out for Life" that use local / organic ingredients, i.e. Farm House, French Garden, etc.

It might be fun to support one of those restaurants and support the Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank at the same time. I know that the Food Bank also supports AIDS work in parts of Africa as well.

I've been trying to buy organic wine more often and today at Trader Joe's noticed they have a nice selection of organic wines.  Throughout the store they use yellow tags that say "organic" so it makes it really easy to spot the organic choices right away.