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Marin Organic Newsletter |
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Summer 2009
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Last Chance to Register for the Marin Organic Volunteer Training Day!
Sunday,
September 13th, 2009 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Cow Track Ranch, Nicasio
Learn in-depth about the focus of Marin Organic, its programs and initiatives, and how you can help in our efforts to support the viability of local, small-scale agriculture.
Volunteers at Marin Organic are invited to join us in the fields, the office and at special events. Bring your passion, your creativity and yourself to this work! To register, please contact Paige Phinney, 415- 663-9667 x 104 or
paige@marinorganic.org
Volunteer Spotlight
Office Volunteer
Rosemary DeSanna is Marin Organic's Lead Volunteer. She began volunteering for Marin Organic in 2007 as a flower harvester for Taste of Marin and now joins our staff in the office every Wednesday to aid in the development of our Volunteer Program. She is our mentor - a natural leader with great ideas and feedback. She is our friend - ready to offer support for upcoming events and run extra errands to ensure the success of our programs. She is our inspiration - Rosemary is completely immersed and active in food sustainability issues, continually learning and sharing. We are so grateful for her generosity and the opportunity to work alongside her. Thank you, Rosemary!
On-Farm Apprentice:
Meet Jonathan Wu, a new apprentice at Drakes Bay Family Farms who is working to help the Lunny's determine how to maximize their summer grass crop through rotational grazing. As one of the many farm apprentices across the country, Jonathan has a great story and is helping to potentially reshape the way we farm in Marin. Find out more about Jonathan, how he got here and his new farm adventures on his blog.
On-Farm Volunteers
In addition to making soaps for Cavallo Point, growing lettuce for Osteria Stellina and fresh cut flowers for Perry's Deli of Inverness, Liz Daniels of Cow Track Ranch also spent the summer working with two disabled youths in her greenhouse and on the farm. Eric and Donna helped dig in the soil and tenderly cared for delicate plants. Their summer program just ended last week, but we know they'll remember Cow Track for years to come - and from the grateful tone in her voice, we know Liz will remember them too! Thank you, Eric and Donna!
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In
Foundation News:
With the 2009-2010
scholastic year underway, Marin Organic is incredibly grateful for recent grants from the Marin Community Foundation
(MCF) and Newman's Own Foundation. Both foundations help support our work
connecting children to local farms and healthy food through the Marin Organic
Farm Days and Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program.
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 Letter from Marin Organic Executive Director, Helge Hellberg
Welcome to this quarter's edition of the Marin Organic newsletter -- a seasonal journal that follows field-to-table production within the nourishing, diverse and ever-changing food landscape of Marin County.
A healthy, local food shed is the foundation of a healthy society. This understanding has long been embraced in Marin County, and today, with First Lady Michelle Obama's ground-breaking decision to plant an organic garden on the White House lawn, it has become a national conversation.Throughout the year, Marin Organic celebrates and supports the people at the core of this movement - our Marin farmers, ranchers and artisan food producers - through a variety of programs, marketing assistance, farm tours, author engagements, farmer dinners and special events. In this issue read about our upcoming tour and tasting of Stubbs Vineyard wines at Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall; reading and cooking demonstration by accomplished chef and author of The Complete Tassajara Recipe Book, Edward Espe Brown; our first-ever "Mess Hall Dinner" in collaboration with Headlands Center for the Arts; and our 2009 Benefit at Cavallo Point showcasing Marin Organic producer members through the eyes and lens of local artist, Douglas Gayeton, author of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town.Marin Organic also offers you, our readers, the opportunity to visit your local farms and get involved by joining the Glean Team, a dedicated group of volunteers that gathers weekly to harvest produce for donations to schools and resource centers enrolled in the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program. To learn more about the Glean Team and other ways to help support Marin Organic's work, we encourage you to attend our first annual Volunteer Training Day this Sunday, September 13, at Cow Track Ranch in Nicasio. Finally, with Summer almost behind us and school in full swing, we invite you to join our efforts to feed children healthier lunches by supporting the Marin Organic 2009 Lunch Money Campaign. Find out how a meal at your local restaurant or purchase at your local bakery can help kids throughout the county eat wholesome, organic food from Marin Organic producers! We are what we eat, and our everyday purchases are political acts. Vote with your dollar and buy from your local food producers at farmers markets. Inquire about Marin-grown products at your local grocery store and restaurant. Vote with your time by volunteering or attending one of our events or farm tours. And vote with your words by communicating the flavor, benefits and importance of local food production here in Marin.
You'll get delicious, story-and-nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, cheese, olive oil, flowers, jams and dairy products in return - and so much more.
Thank you for your support of our local producers and Marin Organic.See you in the field, 
Helge Hellberg
Executive Director, Marin Organic
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A Win/Win for Kids and Farms
The dilemma: Schoolchildren lack access to healthy, nutritious food. Farmers have extra food in their fields, but no time to harvest it.
The solution: Every Monday from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Marin Organic and its team of volunteers, known affectionately as the Glean Team, gather on a Marin Organic farm to harvest organically grown food, get their hands dirty and make a difference in our community. A mother and her kids treasure hunt for the last hidden broccoli florets, a retired couple settles into rows of kale and chard for easy pickings, and high school students earn service hours while playfully boxing, washing and loading produce onto the Marin Organic truck. Wholesome lettuces, tasty beets, crunchy carrots and nutritious boxes of spinach are patiently harvested by our volunteers and then served for school lunch the very next day! Everything we glean is donated to the Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program which combines free and purchased foods for delivery to schools and resource centers, providing 12,000 students access to fresh, local food each week.
Thank you, Glean Team!
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To Do: Raise Lunch Money
"What we've got to do is change how we think about, for example, getting local farmers connected to school districts, because that would benefit the farmers delivering fresh produce."
-President Obama, Health Care Forum, August 20, 2009
Help connect Marin County's schools and farms by supporting the 2009 Marin Organic Lunch Money Campaign!
Our goal is to raise $50,000 by the end of September for the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program - a free service to all participating schools, resource centers and under-served communities throughout Marin, currently giving over 12,000 children access to healthy, local food every week, and creating more than $40,000 in revenue annually for Marin Organic producer members.
Support the 2009 Lunch Money Campaign and make a difference in your community today!
- Dine out on Thursday evening, September 17, at participating local restaurants and 15% of their profits will go to Marin Organic's 2009 Lunch Money Campaign (view list of participating restaurants below).
- Shop on Saturday, September 19, at participating local retailers and 5% of their day's profits will go to the campaign (view list of participating retailers below).
- Make a contribution to the 2009 Lunch Money Campaign in any amount today. To donate, please call Marin Organic at 415-663-9667, or sign-up online through our secure PayPal Server by clicking here, or mail a check to:
Marin Organic
P.O. Box 962
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
The Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program is changing the way kids eat at school here in Marin County, and serves as a model to communities across the nation. Join our efforts today!
Dine Shop
Thursday Evening, September 17th Saturday, September 19th
AVA, San Anselmo Bovine Bakery, Point Reyes Station
Frantoio Ristorante, Mill Valley Gelateria Cici, Mill Valley
Marche Aux Fleurs, Ross Cowgirl Creamery,
Piatti Ristorante and Bar, Mill Valley (all retail stores and farmers markets)
Sausalito Yacht Club, Sausalito Fat Angel Bakery, Fairfax
Small Shed Flatbreads, Mill Valley Muir Woods Café, Muir Woods
Station House Café, Point Reyes Station The Tyler Florence Shop, Mill Valley
*Please contact your restaurant or retailer for reservations
and hours of operation.
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News from Marin Organic Producer Members
McEvoy olive oil just got a little greener, and we're not talking about the hue! After years of surveys and feasibility studies, McEvoy Ranch completed the installation of its very own wind turbine with the help of local business, Sage Renewables. The 95-foot turbine, along with the installation of new solar panels, will produce more than enough power for the entire ranch. And when they aren't using all the juice to make Marin's finest, award-winning organic olive oil, the wind is still pumping into the grid. It simply doesn't get any greener than that! Speaking of olives, Fall is the perfect season to plant olive trees. Whether it's one tree or a large-scale orchard planting, McEvoy Ranch's Nursery can meet your needs. 20 different varietals of certified organic potted olive trees are available for purchase. For more information visit the McEvoy Ranch website.  If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then what can be healthier (or tastier) than an organic apple? Bring the kids, bring your friends and harvest your favorite varieties at Chileno Valley Ranch every Sunday until the season ends! Just call Mike and Sally Gale to tell them you're coming at 707-765-6664. Curious little farm-goers will also have a chance to pet a lamb, cluck with the chickens and meet Lucy the cow. Additional on-the-farm products are also available for purchase including grass-fed beef and eggs.
The Point Reyes Farmers Market, the only all-local, all certified organic produce market, is in full-swing! Come sample summer's bounty, groove to live music, view demonstrations by Bay Area chefs and continue to support and celebrate Marin's own farmers, ranchers and artisanal food producers. Visit the Point Reyes Farmers Market every Saturday through November 7th from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Toby's Feed Barn.
 Locally produced delicacies at the market:
- Warming potatoes and garlic from Worsley Farms.
- Succulent lettuces from Paradise Valley Produce.
- Mouthwatering strawberries from Sartori Farms.
- Seasonal creamy cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery.
- Sweet and hearty oxheart carrots from Marin Roots Farm.
- Signature romano beans from Fresh Run Farms.
- Fragrant flowers and purple basil from Wild Blue Farm.
- Inviting jams and fruit butters from Creekside Gardens.
- Organic grass-fed beef, high in omega-3s, from Drake's Bay Family Farms.
As well as an incredible selection of dried teas, healing salves, meaningful non-profits, delightful honeys, fresh baked breads, soothing massages...and much more! |
The Mess Hall: A Family-Style Dinner in Collaboration with Headlands Center for the Arts
Tuesday, September 29th at 6:30 p.m.
 Join Marin Organic at Headlands Center for the Arts for a lively evening in the company of artists, farmers and friends! Guests will be treated to hors d'oeuvres and an intimate glimpse of Artist In Residence Scott Oliver's open studio space and current projects. A family-style meal celebrating Marin Organic producers and the changing of the seasons will be served in the Mess Hall by Headland's chef, Keith Mercovich.
Cost: $75 - $150 per person (Sliding scale - minimum donation is $75) includes hors d'oeuvres, three-course dinner and wine.
To make a reservation: Please contact Alexandra Franco at Headlands Center for the Arts, 415-331-2787 x 33 or email afranco@headlands.org
Food For Thought Series: Edward Espe Brown
Sunday, October 4th, 2009, 1:00 p.m. at The Dance Palace
 Edward Espe Brown, author of The Complete Tassajara Cookbook: Recipes, Techniques, and Reflections from the Famed Zen Kitchen and The Tassajara Bread Book, is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, an accomplished chef who helped found Greens Restaurant with Deborah Madison, and author of five books. In 2007, Edward appeared in "How to Cook Your Life," a critically acclaimed feature-length documentary. Join Marin Organic and Point Reyes Books for a free talk and cooking demonstration by Edward Espe Brown at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station - no reservations required.
Tour and Tasting with Hog Island Oyster Co. and Stubbs Vineyard
Tuesday, October 6th from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall is a pillar of the local community and grows a tasty little oyster! Join us on a tour of the operation where we'll learn the history of oyster growing in Tomales Bay, master the art of shucking and sample seasonal oyster varieties. To top off the experience attendees will enjoy a talk and tasting of Stubbs Vineyard chardonnay with growers Tom and Mary Stubbs. 
Tickets include wine and oyster tasting :
$40 per person for Members of Marin Organic
$45 per person for non-Members.
*Membership begins at $40 per family.
To make a reservation: Please contact Paige Phinney at Marin Organic, 415-663-9667 or paige@marinorganic.org
Local tidbit: To conclude your evening in Marshall, head up the road following our tour to Nick's Cove for "Local 's Night " featuring live music, food and drink specials!
Save the Date!
2009 Marin Organic Benefit at Cavallo Point -
the Lodge at the Golden Gate
Sunday, October 25th
 A one-time only, Bay Area exclusive exhibition paralleling Marin's personalities in the local agricultural scene with Tuscan farmers, ranchers and artisan food producers captured through the lens of artist Douglas Gayeton, author of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. Special guest, Dario Cecchini, Italy's irrepressible celebrity butcher, philosopher and showman brought center stage in Bill Buford's culinary memoir, Heat, makes this an event not to be missed!
Tickets for the following happenings will be available starting September 15th by calling the Marin Organic office at 415-663-9667.
- Interactive cooking class at The Cooking School at Cavallo Point with Director Kelsie Kerr and master butcher, Dario Cecchini.
- Art show, reception, auction and book signing of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town.
- Dinner at Murray Circle by Michelin starred Executive Chef, Joseph Humphrey, highlighting local food producers and their Fall bounty.
In partnership with Welcome Books and Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate.
For event sponsorship opportunities: Please contact Marin Organic Associate Director, Adrienne Baumann, 415-663-9667 ext. 106 or adrienne@marinorganic.org
For lodging reservations: Please contact Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate and ask about their special overnight rate (code:marinorganic/green rate), 888-651-2003.
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Marin Organic Corporate Sponsors
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Become a Friend of Marin Organic
Marin Organic's greatest asset is its membership! For ten years, Marin Organic has been advocating and supporting the economic viability and environmental stewardship of small-scale agriculture throughout Marin County. Become a Friend today, and add your voice to the support and conservation of a sustainable and local food supply - right in your own backyard! In addition to providing crucial support for Marin Organic endeavors and programs, Friends of Marin Organic receive discounts on all Marin Organic farm tours and community events as well as select Marin Organic Farmer Dinners and Special Events.
Membership Options:
$40 Full-Tilth Friend
$100 Vegetable Visionary
$250 Sustainable All-Star
$1,000 Organic Hero
Join Marin Organic today!
1. Sign-up online through our secure Paypal Server:
www.marinorganic.org/become_partner.php
2. By Check via mail:
Marin Organic
P.O. Box 962
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
3. Or by phone: 415-663-9667
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Contact Info
Marin Organic
P.O. Box 962
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
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