Local Food Ideas: July 2007

I thought i would share some of the best local food ideas submitted so far.

From Cheri (of Watershed Books fame) in Lakeport:

saturday mornings. the farmers' market at steel winery has...mouth watering peaches, locally grown plants, award winning salsa. fresh strawberries, corn, tomatoes, onions, goat cheeses that are soooo yummy, fresh flowers, coffee, juices, pastries, warm bread, music. just down the road is argonaught farm [spelling?] for more fresh produce. btw, i trade books for locally grown produce...enjoy, cheri

From Dallas in Upper Lake...

Some of the things I do and have been doing for a while:
*shop at the Farmers' Market (alas, I can't this summer cause I'm working on
Saturdays)

*I stop at Seely's stand and buy only what is local, (ie. Jackie's eggs, Sky's onions and garlic, RB's local raw honey - not the peaches, tomatoes, and other produce brought in from the Central Valley - will wait till Seeley's peaches
come in mid August, yum!)

*In the meantime, I might find some good peaches at Renker Farms down Argonaut Rd. from Steele Winery, and much better prices than at the market. They also sell beautiful zinnias by the stem, pick your own...fun!

*Though not organic, I buy strawberries from the Upper Lake stand on Hwy. 20

*the abundance of plums coming off my tree are literally breaking the branches. Anyone who wants golden plums, small but sweet, please come and pick all you can eat.

*Ahh, my coffee addiction! Since I do drink it, I buy Thanksgiving brand at Highway grocery in Upper Lake, purported to be not just a cup of coffee, but a "just" cup of coffee, Fair Trade, and roasted/distributed out of Fort Bragg. (Is that 100 miles away?)

*Veggies from other folk's gardens! Yes! This is the time of year that is easy to consume at least a pound of locally produced food. It is hard to keep up with all there is without wasting any. I made a pretty good soup out of the pulp scooped from the giant zuchini I got from Frances Crary. The shell I stuffed with a meatloaf (probably not local) mixture.

*Though not the green gardener that some of my friends are, I do have a tomato plant growing this season, and I planted a fig tree this year. (Hope the gophers and moles don't get it.)

Well, there is my short list, and there are probably other things I haven't thought of.

And from Dancing TreePeople Orchard (me)....

I still have plenty of organic walnuts stored, enough left to share. In the garden: chard is productive, Zucchini and cherry tomatoes are just starting to produce. The apples and grapes are a long ways off... and I am wondering WHEN we might begin blackberry picking? August?
Nearby, Seely stand has a wonderful strawberry sorbet from Sky Hoyt. TNC market on Main Street Upper Lake sells some local garden produce as well as a good array of organic foods.

Local Food Pledge

We already know how important it is to shop locally. And by buying local food, we support our farmers and economy right here in Lake County! So why not pledge to buy a portion of your food locally?

If you are interested in taking a local food pledge , pledging to eat at least 1 pound a week from local sources, then visit this link:



As an added incentive: by signing up, you could win a prize! For example, the top prize of $6000 worth of landscaping would plant a great garden. (If you win that prize, and don't have room for a garden, let me know and I am sure we can help you find a fledgling community group that could use the help.)

To help you meet your 1 pound a week commitment, perhaps those who have joined the LakeFuture group list can begin to share their favorite places they go to buy local food.

P.S. I wonder if drinking a glass of local wine counts toward my 1lb commitment?