| Marin Organic Newsletter |
Winter 2010
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This holiday season consider supporting small and family-owned businesses in your neighborhood!
Marin Organic's website features more than 60 local shops, eateries, caterers, hotels and inns dedicated to sustaining Marin Organic's farms and food producers. If you're looking for that special book, unique gift, dinner reservation or a holiday get-a-way, take a look at what is available close to home! Click here for a complete list of Marin Organic Supporting Businesses.
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Speaking of local, find the perfect farmstead holiday gifts and stocking stuffers from Marin Organic producers on-line at The Marin Store. With every purchase of yarn and wool comforters from RedHill Farms, specialty salts and sugars from AllStar Organics, Cow Track Creations aromatic soaps, or cheeses from Point Reyes Farmstead, you donate a percentage to the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program!
Also giving back this season, Priolo and Co. owned by Marin-based father and son, Carl and Lucas Priolo, features a luxurious line of eco-friendly jewelry made with 100% recycled and "Fair Trade" materials. Enter "MarinOrganic" in the Charity Box during your on-line check out and 10% of your holiday purchase goes to Marin Organic. Or, stop in at their shop, Sofia Mill Valley, and tell them Marin Organic sent you!
Finally, don't forget the most eco-friendly present of all - a membership to Marin Organic! Become a Friend or gift a membership to a loved one for just $5 a month ($40/year). Your gift ensures the continued growth of a local, organic food system in which small-scale food producers thrive and nutritious food is available to all. For more information please visit our website www.marinorganic.org
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As we look back over this incredible year, we are moved by and grateful to all the foundations, local businesses, sponsors, members and individuals who supported our work to make organic farming in Marin economically viable, socially just and environmentally sound.
Our sincere thanks to:
Foundations and Government
Assemblymember Jared Huffman
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Clif Bar Family Foundation
CM van Vlierden 2007 Trust
County of Marin
Good Night Foundation
Marin Community Foundation
Marin County Board of Supervisors
Mental Insight Foundation
Randy Weil Foundation
Rathmann Family Foundation
RSF Social Finance
San Francisco Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund
TomKat Charitable Trust
West Family Foundation
2010 Sponsors and Community Giving
Amy's Kitchen
Art on the Farm
Cavallo Point Lodge
Cavallo Point Cooking School
Cowgirl Creamery
Edible Marin and Wine Country
EO Products
Epic Roots
Flower Power
Foreign Cinema
Marin Country Mart
Marin Magazine
MarketBar
McEvoy Ranch
New Resource Bank
Osteria Stellina
Piazza d'Angelo
Point Reyes Books
Point Reyes Seashore Lodge
Savory Thymes
Star Route Farms
Straus Family Creamery
Toby's Feed Barn
Whole Foods Market
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Thanks to our 2010 underwriters and sponsors, the 3rd Annual Food for Thought Author Series in conjunction with Point Reyes Books featured an incredible group of culinary writers such as Alice Waters, Raj Patel, Temra Costa, Dr. David Kessler and many more. This amazing series is made possible through the support of:
Cavallo Point Lodge Edible Marin and Wine Country
Flower Power
Marin Country Mart
Marin Magazine
New Resource Bank, Osteria Stellina
Point Reyes Books
Point Reyes Seashore Lodge
Straus Family Creamery Toby's Feed Barn
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We also acknowledge our many dedicated partners and supporters of agriculture in Marin and beyond. Keep up the amazing work!
Agricultural Institute of Marin
California Certified Organic Farmers
California FarmLink
Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Ecological Farming Association
Institute at the Golden Gate
Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Marin Resource Conservation District
Project Lunch Stakeholder Collaborative
Roots of Change
Slow Food USA
Teens Turning Green
University of California Cooperative Extension
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Letter from Marin Organic Executive Director, Helge Hellberg
A year full of challenges and opportunities is coming to an end - with a bang! This week, S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, a.k.a. the "Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act," was passed in a landslide vote by the House of Representatives (229-12). Among other provisions, this bill would increase the number of eligible children enrolled in school meal programs, augment the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches and improve the nutritional quality of food in schools by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to propose science-based school nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machines, snack bars, and school stores.
Furthermore, the bill includes an organic food pilot program drafted by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey that provides competitive grants to school food authorities to increase the amount of organic food offered in schools.
This is a gigantic step in the right direction and we salute the hundreds of thousands of people, legislators and organizations that have stood up and spoken out on behalf of kids' health nationwide.
Also this week, S. 510 passed, the Senate version of the Food Safety Modernization Act. If approved by the House (or merged with its own bill HR 2749 passed last year) and then signed into law, S. 510 would address food handling, record keeping and traceability of ingredients and products, and give the Food and Drug Administration greater oversight and authority to test and recall contaminated foods.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates an average of 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses each year in the United States, most of them from large-scale processing plants. While this legislation is certain to improve the safety of our nation's food supply and help protect consumers, we also believe that true safety lies in knowing your farmer, where your food comes from and how it was grown.
Fortunately, the opportunities to eat local and organic food are growing by the week. Every year, new retailers and restaurants join as Supporting Businesses of Marin Organic and commit to adding local organic food to their offerings. Even retail giant Whole Foods Market has made local their new paradigm in the Bay Area, adding fourteen Marin Organic farmers and food producers to stores throughout the North Bay, including AllStar Organics, Clark Summit Farm, County Line Harvest, Cowgirl Creamery, Cow Track Ranch, Drakes Bay Family Farms, Marin Roots Farm, McEvoy Ranch, RedHill Farm, Robert Giacomini Dairy, Rossotti Ranch, Star Route Farms, Stemple Creek Ranch, Straus Family Creamery and Stubbs Vineyard.
Whole Foods commitment to local agriculture doesn't stop there. As part of the Project Lunch Stakeholder Collaborative, stores in Marin have partnered in our collective effort to bring healthy foods to school cafeterias, including sponsoring buses to transport kids from Novato, San Rafael and Marin City to our member farms for hands-on learning and gleaning with Marin Organic staff. Regionally, a 5% Community Support Day in June at all Northern California Whole Foods stores raised critical funds for the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program - directly improving the nutrition of schoolchildren and underserved families throughout Marin County.
A sincere thank you to Whole Foods and all of our Supporting Businesses, and to you, our readers, for patronizing establishments committed to the viability of local, organic farming. We truly have so much to be grateful for.
Helge Hellberg
Executive Director
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Marin Organic and Novato Unified volunteers named Hero of the Week by Pacific Sun!
On Monday, November 22, 2010, more than 100 volunteers participated in a collaborative Thanksgiving Gleaning organized by Marin Organic and the Novato Unified School District. Marin Organic staff and two teams of school administrators, parents and students from Novato Unified and St. Vincent's de Paul High School in Petaluma, joined forces to pick kale, lettuce and chard at Star Route Farms in Bolinas and Green Gulch Farm in Muir Beach. In less than two hours, 111 boxes of fresh, nutritious, 100% organic produce were harvested totaling 800 pounds of food and a market value of more than $3,000! Marin Organic distributed the boxes to Novato Human Needs Center, Homeward Bound of Marin and the Marin Food Bank in Novato just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Read more about the Hero of the Week Award and our Thanksgiving Gleaning in the Pacific Sun, Novato Patch and Marin IJ.
The Marin Organic Glean Team meets Monday afternoons from 4 - 6:00 p.m. to glean extras from the fields of Marin Organic member farms. Everyone is welcome! Check in with Scott Davidson for more information or consider bringing an entire school classroom on a Marin Organic Farm Day. Sign up soon as winter/spring Farm Days are filling up fast!
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News from Marin Organic Producer Members
Marin Organic proudly welcomes the Lafranchi family of Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, Tony and Julie Rossotti of Rossotti Ranch, and Marcia Barinaga of Barinaga Ranch to our growing membership!
Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
 Mornings start at the crack of dawn at the Lafranchi family dairy. Milking is finished by 6:30 a.m. and cheese making begins at 9 a.m. From the bloomy rind of the Formagella to the classic Swiss Italian mountain cheese, Nicasio Reserve, the Lafranchis have fulfilled their father's dream of a family-owned and operated organic farmstead creamery. Visit Nicasio Valley Cheese Company at 5300 Nicasio Valley Road Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here to find out more www.nicasiocheese.com
Rossotti Ranch
If you enjoy red meat but have to watch your intake, consider this: goat meat is high in protein and iron, low in fat and cholesterol. Husband and wife team, Tony and Julie Rossotti, produce some of the finest grass-fed goat meat the Bay Area has to offer. Find their product at Whole Foods Market and Sunday's Marin Farmers Market at the Civic Center in San Rafael, or contact the Rossottis directly at www.rossottiranch.com.
Barinaga Ranch
 Marcia Barinaga has brought the ancient shepherding and cheesemaking traditions of her Basque ancestors to Marin. Her flock of dairy ewes graze year-round on organically certified pastures at the Barinaga Ranch in Marshall. From April through September, Marcia handcrafts their rich milk into aged raw-milk sheep cheeses. Her Baserri and Txiki tomme's are seasonally available from late June to December at various cheese shops, markets and restaurants throughout the Bay Area. To find out more about Barinaga Ranch and where to purchase the Basque-inspired cheeses visit www.barinagaranch.com.
The Fork at Robert Giacomini Dairy
 The Giacomini family has dedicated over a half of century to crafting Point Reyes Farmstead Cheeses. This same exceptional care has gone into creating The Fork Culinary Institute at their dairy just north of Point Reyes Station, an education and entertainment facility featuring a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, tasting room and outdoor patio. Don't miss The Fork's Farm-to-Table Culinary Series highlighting the talents of local chefs. Next up: Chef Rachelle Boucher will demonstrate recipes for easy holiday entertaining on Friday, December 17, from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Check out www.theforkatpointreyes.com to find out more about upcoming classes or renting The Fork for private events.
Cowgirl Creamery's Sidekick
 In September, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery opened Sidekick, a cheese and dairy bar next to their cheese shop in San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace. Tantalizing menu items feature local cheeses plus produce from Marin Organic farms such as County Line Harvest, Star Route Farms and Paradise Valley Farm. Mornings at Sidekick you can choose from sweet or savory challah rolls, gougères, cottage cheese with fresh fruit and yogurt bowls. At 11:00am the afternoon kitchen opens with a fresh mozzarella bar, green salads, a daily artisan cheese plate, raclette, cheese toasties and stuffed flatbreads. Beverages include both coffee and milk tea, cream sodas and egg creams - all made with Straus Family Creamery milk! Sidekick is open from 7 a.m - 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. |
Greetings!
My name is Chester and I'm behind the wheel of the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program. Every week I drive the Marin Organic truck through the county, across highways, neighborhoods and school parking lots, the refrigerator unit filled with organic food from Marin Organic producers. I imagine the community's thoughts when they see the truck on the road: school chefs thinking to themselves, "I cook with those foods;" students and teachers saying to each other, "Our school lunch is made with that food;" happy parents knowing that a delivery may just have been made to their child's school. I envision local business owners, volunteers and Marin Organic supporters nodding in satisfaction because they've supported our efforts. And, of course, I think about the farmers, the heart and soul of our work, who might say aloud, "I grew that food."
Right here in Marin, so many schools lack funding, adequate kitchen facilities and cafeteria staff to properly feed students. But with the support, creativity and enthusiasm of our community, we're paving the road to a healthier future for our kids. From Project Lunch to National Gleaning Day, Marin Organic has reached major milestones in 2010 thanks to our dedicated partners and volunteers, including the delivery of more than 140,000 pounds of free, certified organic food to schools and food pantries since the Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program began.
Join us! Become a Friend of Marin Organic and help us build and nourish our local food community. For just $5 a month you can join or gift a Marin Organic membership this holiday season. My co-pilot Dela and I will thank you, and every time you see the Marin Organic truck go by, you'll know your gift is fueling something that truly makes a difference in the lives, hearts and health of kids across Marin.
See you on the road,
Chester and Dela
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 RumpleFarm Open Studio Sat & Sun, Dec 4-5, 2-6 p.m.
RumpleFarm
3190 Eastman Lane
Petaluma
This weekend only, local multimedia artist Douglas Gayeton will host an Open Studio at his home and studio at RumpleFarm. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to view images from the upcoming Lexicon of Sustainability including Marin Organic's very own farmers, plus works from Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town, and more. Best of all, you can take an image home for the holidays at a 50% discount and an additional 10% will go to Marin Organic if you mention our name!
 4th Annual Holiday Farmer Dinner MarketBar
Saturday, December 11, 6:00 p.m.
One Ferry Building
The Embarcadero at Market Street, San Francisco
Friday, December 17, 5-7 p.m.
Point Reyes Station
Please join us for this free event open to all members, Friends and supporters of Marin Organic! We will celebrate the holiday season with hot lemonade, Brickmaiden shortbread cookies sprinkled with AllStar Organic rose petal sugar and music by our very own farmers (5:00 - 6 p.m.). Kids will enjoy decorating Bovine Bakery gingerbread farm animals and local artwork from the "Art on the Farm" exhibit will be on sale to benefit the Marin Organic Interest-Free Farmer Loan Fund. We hope to see you there! To learn more about our Friends program click here.
 | | Photo Courtesy of Andrew Weeks |
Marin Country Mart Farmers' Market
Every Saturday, year round
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Larkspur Landing
(Across from the Ferry Terminal)
Purchase locally and organically grown farm fresh produce from Marin Organic vendors like Marin Roots Farm and Fresh Run Farm, plus meat, seafood, dairy products and artisan foods including baked goods from Marin Organic Supporting Business, Rustic Bakery. Pony rides, a petting zoo and live music happens every week from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., so bring the entire family!
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Marin Organic Corporate Underwriters
 
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Contact Info
Marin Organic
P.O. Box 962
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
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