Sustainable Food Resources

San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond
Chris Dolezalek

Bay Area Local and,or Organic Restaurant Links:

Peninsula

San Francisco

East Bay

South Bay

Half Moon Bay

Bay Area Vegetarians (http://www.bayareaveg.org) is a San Francisco Bay Area wide group for vegan, vegetarian and animal rights folks to connect and find support with like-minded folks, while our activities & events encourage and educate the community on the benefits of a plant-based diet. We are a 100% volunteer, no fees, plant-powered organization with over 4,000 members throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Can San Francisco feed itself from local farms? (http://postcarboncities.net/node/2763)

CCFO (http://www.ccof.org/) Organic Certification, Trade Association, Education & Outreach, Politcal Advocacy. CCOF promotes and supports organic food and agriculture through a premier organic certification program, trade support, producer and consumer education and political advocacy. From apples to zucchini, from almonds to wine, CCOF is involved in every facet of organics, with over 750 different organic crops and products, including livestock, processed products and services.

Center for Informed Food Choices (informedeating.org) advocates a diet based on whole, unprocessed, local, organically grown plant foods; its Web site contains a useful F.A.Q. page about food politics and eating well, as well as an archive of relevant articles.

Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center (http://www.commongroundinpaloalto.org/) in Palo Alto, California: Common Ground is a project of Ecology Action, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting the GROWBIOINTENSIVE™ method of sustainable agriculture.

Communities: 3greencommunities (http://environment.meetup.com/340/) The Communities of Los Gatos/Monte Sereno, Saratoga and Campbell have joined forces to promote green sustainability. We invite you to speak up and be heard.

Communities: East Bay Slow Food Advocates (http://wholefood.meetup.com/123/) Our group follows the principles of 'slow food' with a commitment to use quality foods, adhere to wholesome nutrition and maintain personal wellness.

Communities: Food Near CNET Network (http://cnetfood.ning.com/)

Communities: Food Shed Network (http://foodshed.ning.com/) A Facebook/MySpace-like social network for people who care about where their food comes from - and for those who grow it, distribute it, prepare it, and sell it . . . within the local

Communities: Going Green (http://green.meetup.com/224/) A Community fostering Greener SOLUTIONS Through Innovation, Investing, and Industry Experts, investors, and entrepreneurs meet to provide innovation & insight into the cutting edge green areas.

Communities: Power of the Heart (http://poweroftheheart.ning.com/) This site is about possibilities. It’s about compassion, action, and change. It’s about empowering people to make a difference.

Communities: San Francisco Bay Area Local Food (http://sfbaylocalfood.ning.com) Community for people interested in eating organically and/or locally grown food in the San Francisco Bay Area

Communities: San Francisco Organic, Raw Food & Natural Health Meetup (http://rawfood.meetup.com/436/) Meet people who are interested in organic, raw, natural food and health! Come to a Meetup to have fun, share recipes, discuss food, health, make new friends, get inspired and motivated! Anyone interested in living an organic life and meeting others who are passionate about food and health are welcome

Communities: Sustainable Food (http://sustainablefood.ning.com/) Growing 100 M tons of corn to burn for ethanol creates ecological suicide as it drains trillions of gallons of non-replenishable groundwater, spikes food and fuel prices, decimates food exports and threatens millions with starvation.

Cool Eatz (http://www.cooleatz.com) CoolEatz makes a difference by using food and wine raised, harvested, and produced sustainably and regionally.

Eating Sustainably (http://www.globalcommunity.org/vhd/eatsusbay.pdf) Here in the San Francisco Bay area, we are lucky to have an abundance of choices for eating sustainably. In this pdf document we concentrate on sustainable food resources for the San Francisco Peninsula and South Bay, but we include some listings for those of you in the City and in the East Bay, too. Resources for the San Francisco Bay Area (http://www.commongroundinpaloalto.org/eatingsustainably.htm)

Eat Local (http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/locally_grown.htm) About.com: Environmental Issues: “How Does Eating Locally Grown Food Help the Environment?”
See also, www.newdream.org/consumer/farmersmarkets.php"> Center for a New American Dream

Eat Local Challenge (http://www.eatlocal.net/)

Eat Well (eatwellguide.org) is an online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy and eggs. Enter your ZIP Code to find healthful, humane and eco-friendly products from farms, stores and restaurants in your area.

Eat Wild (eatwild.com) lists local suppliers for grass-fed meat and dairy products.

Ecology Action (http://www.growbiointensive.org/) A sustainable solution for growing food. Aware of intensifying world challenges and the basic need of people to feed themselves, we have developed a small-scale agricultural system — GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Sustainable Mini-Farming — that nurtures soil, produces high yields, conserves resources and can be used successfully by almost everyone. Our goal is to help this system be known and used locally — on a worldwide scale.

Farm Fresh to You (http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php) where food comes from and how it was grown, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is becoming a popular alternative for getting high quality food from a trusted local farm.

My Organic Day (http://myorganicday.com/) Explore San Francisco Bay Areas hot spots for organic and sustainable living

 

 

edible San Francisco - SF Bay Area Sustainable Resources (http://ediblesanfrancisco.com/index.php/2007121732/News/Latest/SF-Bay-Area-Sustainable-Resources.html)

 

Fresh As It Gets (http://www.freshasitgets.com)

Farmers in developing world hurt by 'eat local' philosophy in U.S. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/18/EDGOTB668.DTL)

Farmers & Flea Markets (http://www.sfgate.com/food/farmersmarkets/) SFGate’s List

Food First (http://www.foodfirst.rog) The Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First shapes how people think by analyzing the root causes of global hunger, poverty, and ecological degradation and developing solutions in partnership with movements working for social change.

Food Routes (foodroutes.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to “reintroducing Americans to their food — the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it and the routes that carry it from the fields to our tables.”

Games: SimFarm for Windows (http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/simulations/games_s/simfarm_for_windows.html)
Tips, cheats, reviews, … (http://dobre-gry.het.pl/SimFarm,40.html)

Games: Local Food Economy Game (http://localfoodeconomygame.com/)

Green Store Zebra (http://www.thegreenzebra.org) A coupon book, a directory, an educational resource, the 2008 Green Zebra guides show you how to have fun living green in the Bay Area, while saving thousands of dollars too.

 

Healthy World Organic Guide Books ( http://www.healthyworld.org/guides.html)

 

Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/) Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural techniques.

Heritage Foods USA (heritagefoodsusa.com) sells mail-order ‘traceable’ products from small farms — maple syrup, pole-caught tuna, grass-fed Kobe beef — whose labels provide every detail about how they were produced.

Just Food (justfood.org) works to develop a just and sustainable food system in the New York City region through projects including City Farms (a New York community garden program) and community supported agriculture (which connects regional farmers with produce-hungry city dwellers).

KeepGreenGoing (http://keepgreengoing.com/) is a blog developed for anyone who wants to become more environmentally friendly. We enjoying researching the latest green news and passing that information on to you. With the overwhelming amount of “green marketing” taking place, it’s hard to know where to look for useful information.

Local Foods Wheel (http://www.localfoodswheel.com/)

Local Harvest (localharvest.org) offers a definitive and reliable nationwide directory of C.S.A.’s, farmers’ markets, family farms and other local food sources.

Locavores (locavores.com), based in San Francisco, encourages people to eat only foods produced within a 100-mile radius of home. Their Food Web page offers an abundance of additional resources, including books, articles and Web sites.

OM Direct (http://www.om-direct.com/omdirect.jsp) a web service for making the most of your regional harvest We make it easier for wholesale buyers and producers to make connections from field to plate.

Omnivores Solution (http://www.theomnivoressolution.com)  a journey in search of creative solutions in the kitchen that balance the sustainability of our earth and ourselves with a passion for taste and flavor.

Organic Consumers Association (organicconsumers.org), The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability.

Organic Highways / California (http://www.organichighways.com/search-1.php?location=15&submit=Search)

Organic List – California (http://www.organicslist.com/California.html)

 

Organic Travel (http://organictravel.com) guides for natural food markets, farmers markets, organic restaurants, organic farms, wineries, natural attractions, pesticide-free parks, organic stores, events, green lodging & more.

Seafood Watch (mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp) — a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources — offers a downloadable, pocket-sized, region-by-region guide to eco-friendly seafood.

Seed Quest ( http://seedquest.com/organic/printpublications/default.htm)

SF Bay Area Community (http://sfbaylocalfood.ning.com/) for people interested in eating organically and/or locally grown food in the San Francisco Bay Area

Sierra Club: Ten Ways to Eat Well (http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200611/tenways.asp)

Slow Food USA (slowfoodusa.org) is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to ecologically sound land stewardship and food production and to living a “slower and more harmonious” life.

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture (stonebarnscenter.org) is a hands-on educational center and restaurant that aims to demonstrate, teach and promote sustainable, community-based food production on a working farm 30 miles from Manhattan.

Sustain Lane (http://www.sustainlane.com) We're a group of people who are probably a lot like you. We care about living healthy and full lives, and we are concerned about our future and that of our friends and families as we become more aware of the growing issues surrounding the sustainability of our communities and our planet.

Sustainable Table (sustainabletable.org) offers an introduction to the sustainable food movement and the issues surrounding it, plus resources for further investigation (the links for ‘Introduction to Sustainability’ and ‘The Issues’ are good places to start).

The U.S.D.A. Agricultural Marketing Service (ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets) includes a state-by-state listing of farmers’ markets across the United States.

True Food Network (http://www.truefoodnow.org), established in 2000 and now a 40,000 member network, is the grassroots network of the Center for Food Safety as a means to engage non-farmers in the struggle against genetically engineered crops dedicated to stopping the genetic engineering of our food, farms and future, and working with others to create a socially just, democratic and sustainable food system.

Tufts Food Awareness Program (http://www.tufts.edu/%7Eeco/tfap/tfap.html) is a program initiated, developed, and run by Tufts students, to educate the university community about environmentally and socially responsible food choices.

Underground Food Collective (undergroundfoodcollective.org) Home of Underground Catering, Madison WI

Vegetarian US Travel Guide (http://www.vegetarianusa.com/city/SanFranciscoRestaurants.html) Welcome to the Vegetarian Travel Guide! Why not plan your next trip using one of our FREE (printable) city or state guides ... or browse through any of our 15 chapters below ... and discover how exciting a vegetarian lifestyle can be!

Where does your food come from? (http://www.foodroutes.org/)

 

Wine (organic and/or sustainable) Links

- About.com: Organic Wines (http://wine.about.com/od/wineandhealth/a/Organicwines.htm)

 

- Napa Green Certified Wineries (http://www.napavintners.com/about/ab_2_ngwinery.aspx)

 

- Article: Organic & Sustainable Wine Production Expanding Rapidly in California (http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/wine012104.cfm)

 

- Article: Conventional versus Environmentally-Sensitive Wines: (http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2008/articles/1343.pdf) The Status of Wine Production Strategies in California North Coast Counties

 

- Article: Biodynamic Wine Making (http://ediblesanfrancisco.com/index.php/ESF-Feb/March-08/Issue-10/The-practicing-agnostic.html)

 

- Winery: Alma Rosa (http://www.almarosawinery.com/about/philosophy.html)Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards practices and promotes organic farming, sustainable agriculture, ecologically-responsible packaging, and green building. In addition it supports related earth-friendly causes such as the reintroduction of peregrine falcons to the Santa Ynez Valley and the international slow food movement.

 

- Winery: Bonny Doon Vineyard (http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/)

 

- Winery: Pelican Ranch Winery (http://www.pelicanranch.com)

 

- Winery: Roudon-Smith Winery (http://www.roudonsmith.com)

 

- Winery: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (http://www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com)

 

- Winery: Silver Mountain (http://www.silvermtn.com) Learn more about Silver Mountain's certified organic estate vineyard and our sustainable vineyard practices.

 

- Winery: Storrs Winery (http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/story?id=52503) Solar Technologies recently completed a 12.4 kW solar power system for Storrs Winery at their Corralitos vineyard estate near Santa Cruz, California. Steve and Pamela Storrs, owners of Storrs Winery, have been converting their estate to organic farming practices. In keeping with their philosophy of sustainable farming, they chose to install a solar power system by Solar Technologies to power the irrigation pumps of their farm.

 

- Winery: Talley Vineyards (http://www.talleyvineyards.com) Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers (http://www.talleyvineyards.com/talley_frame.fsp?aname=visittalleyvineyards&bSubSection=0&id=233549)

 

World Watch Institute (http://www.worldwatch.org/) The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization known around the world for its accessible, fact-based analysis of critical global issues.

 

BOOKS & Lists on sustainable / organic food / living

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon

This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader,” by Joan Dye Gussow

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmers’ Markets, by Deborah Madison

Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods, by Gary Paul Nabhan

Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics.

Holy Cows and Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm-Fresh Food, by Joel Salatin

The Habitat Garden Book : Wildlife Landscaping for the San Francisco Bay Region, by Nancy Bauer

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control by Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley

 

ListMania (Amazon reader lists)

 

My Favorite Green Living Books

 

Essential California Native Plant Books

 

Becoming Organic
Books for fledgling organic gardeners

Real Food Read List
This reading list is for people who love to eat real food and understand why it is so satisfying

Sustainability

Edible Gardens: Growing Vegetables & Fruits, Guides & Resources

Building A Sustainable Food System:

Susainable Eating in a World Without Oil:
I've been busy this summer learning where food comes from and thinking about the implications of Peak Oil. I'm trying to learn to live more self-sufficiently now so infrastructure will be in place when we need it. This means getting meat and veggies from a CSA, canning, freezing and drying food in season, and learning to cook from more whole ingredients that I can grow myself or buy locally

Slow Food Orange County Recommended Reading
List of suggested books to members of the Slow Food OC Convivium

Seasonal, Mostly Vegetarian Cookbooks for Budding Locavores
So you've signed up for a farm share, hit the local farmer's market, and committed to cooking from scratch and eating a mostly plant-based diet that's better for you and for the planet. Congratulations! Now what do you do with all that kohlrabi? What the heck is kohlrabi, anyway?

Edible Intrigue:
Eloquent explorations of our food habits and culture, guiding us toward a future where what we eat is a valued expression of culture instead of a cheap commodity.

Tools for the Environment

 

KQED Farmers’ Market Resources
Find out more information about California farmers' markets, organic products,GMOs and sustainable agriculture.
(http://www.kqed.org/topics/home/cooking/farmers-markets.jsp)

About Farmers' Markets Find out what it means to qualify as a California "Certified" Farmers' Market.

Bay Area Farmers' Market listings (sfgate.com)

Organic Consumers Association (organicconsumers.org)

Why buy organic? (ecologycenter.org)

FAQ about organic farming (ofrf.org)

California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets (cafarmersmarkets.com)

The National Organic Program: Organic Food Standards and Labels (ams.usda.gov)

What is genetic engineering? (ccof.org)

California Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (calsawg.org)

Exploring sustainability in agriculture (sare.org)

CUESA -- Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (ferryplazafarmersmarket.com)

Community Alliance with Family Farmers (caff.org)

What is Slow Food? (slowfood.com)