Marin Organic is honored to be amongst the recipients of the Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation. The greatly appreciated funding will help support Marin Organic’s many programs, including our Organic School Lunch Program, Farmer Member Support, Salmon Safe and National and International Support for Rural Development.

In the meantime, as we move into the full bloom of summer, here are a couple of tips about how to save your garden’s seeds this growing season:

1. When saving bean seeds, allow seed pods to continue to mature on the plant for about six weeks beyond the eating stage, harvest pods and allow them to brown fully before harvesting the seeds inside.

2. When saving lettuce seeds, allow the plant to flower and then form seed heads. Allow the seed heads to dry for two or three weeks, then cut off the tops of the plant and continue to dry seed heads upside down in an open paper bag.

3. When saving broccoli seeds, do not harvest portions of the plant for eating. Allow the plant to grow to full maturity, flowering and seeding and finally waiting until about half of the seed pods have then dried, then harvest the entire plant. Collect seeds from unopened pods by placing pods in a canvas bag and using a mallet to tap them open.

Happy full circle gardening!

Marin Organic Executive Director Helge Hellberg and Marin
Agricultural Commissioner Stacy Carlsen talk with the President
and Agricultural Minister from the Navarra Region of Spain
during his recent tour of Marin County.

The Navarra Region is one of the wealthiest regions in Spain, an area about twice the size in acreage and population as Marin County. While the region has a well established agricultural and livestock economy, based mostly on value added and specialty products, the visitors are interested in seeing other models in sustainable agriculture. “We are excited about the national and international interest in our work here in Marin,” said Helge Hellberg, Executive Director of Marin Organic. “All of our efforts are based on collaborations with many other agencies and organizations, but at its base, it is the passionate commitment to the land and the products that our producer members have that makes all the difference.”

Marin Organic Executive Director Helge Hellberg and Marin Agricultural Commissioner Stacy Carlsen talk with the President and Agricultural Minister from the Navarra Region of Spain during his recent tour of Marin County.

This is a city that takes its salmon very seriously -- as a delicacy and as a regional icon. Now a new citywide ad campaign is asking grocery shoppers to step up and do their part to save the salmon.

Matt and Rachel Berry of the Regenerative
Design Institute in Bolinas pick.
(IJ photo/Alan Dep)

 

Just when foodies thought America's growing trend toward organic sustainable foods was at the forefront of healthy eating, there's an even more dramatic idea gaining attention: Weeds.

1600 food communities
from 5 continents and 150 countries,
5000 farmers, breeders, fishermen and traditional food producers, 1000 cooks and 200 universities meet in Turin to share experiences and discuss the development of a new concept of agriculture and good, clean and fair food.
www.terramadre2006.org


Report from Terra Madre

On October 26th, 2006, thirty representatives from Marin County joined five thousand farmers from around the world in Turin, Italy for the largest gathering of food communities in the world – the international Slow Food conference, Terra Madre. Also at the conference were more than a thousand chefs, professors from hundreds of universities, government officials from around the world, international leaders, grassroots organizations and international aid foundations.

Held once every two years, Terra Madre this year brought together sixteen hundred food communities, from 5 continents and 150 countries – all meeting in Turin to discuss the development of a new concept of agriculture and good, clean and fair food.

Marin producers represented the largest delegation from the United States, comprised of more than seven food communities, 14 producers, six chefs, four non-profit organizations, the Marin Agricultural Commissioner and the Director of UC Cooperative Extension. For more than six months, Marin Organic worked with Slow Food USA to organize a delegation, submitting more than 60 names as delegates.

Marin producers represented the largest delegation from the United States, comprised of more than seven food communities, 14 producers, six chefs, four non-profit organizations, the Marin Agricultural Commissioner and the Director of UC Cooperative Extension. For more than six months, Marin Organic worked with Slow Food USA to organize a delegation, submitting more than 60 names as delegates.

“The work involved was intense,” said Marin Organic Executive Director Helge Hellberg, “But our vision was that the power of the gathering would help Marin producers, government officials, educators, business owners and non-profit organizations realize the incredible importance of the work they are doing in and for Marin County and the model and voice of inspiration they represent for the world.” Marin Organic had hoped, Hellberg noted, that every name submitted would have been accepted, but ultimately, the final choice of delegates was left up to Slow Food, USA. As it was, the delegation from Marin County still represented the largest contingency from the United States.

For all who attended, the event was extremely moving and inspiring. Plenary speakers Alice Waters and Michael Pollen spoke about the important role food and agriculture has in creating a new vision for this world, while international activist Vendana Shiva spoke about the importance of stopping Genetically Modified Organisms and the birthright of humans to grow their own food, unmolested and unpatented by corporations.

At the meeting of the US delegation, it was noted that the agricultural movement is bringing together environmental issues, issues of world peace and social justice. “Food touches everyone,” Hellberg said, “It creates a new framework of relating – to our soil, to our land, to ourselves – through the way in which food is produced in Marin County. Representatives from Marin County brought back with them the knowledge that they are part of a much larger, critically important movement to restore community and a sense of place to the production of food and to create a food system that cares for the environment as well as human beings.”

The Marin Economic Commission recognizes local businesses, organizations, and individuals for achievement in a variety of categories each year, including green business practices, workforce training and preparedness, business development, agriculture, and provision of workforce housing. Awardees are selected from nominations made by local businesses, organizations, and individuals and are recognized by the community at the Awards of Excellence Luncheon, held each autumn.

On Monday, July 10, ten teenagers gathered at Cow Track Ranch to help with weeding, prepping beds, cleaning garlic and any other task that might be helpful to farmer Liz Daniels. The program is part of a partnership launched this summer between Marin Organic and the Marin Conservation Corps’ Project ReGeneration.

New client: Paige Phinney of Marin Organic
delivers food to Cindylu Janison, prep cook
at the kitchen at New Beginnings in Novato.
Marin Organic will be delivering to the Bolinas-
Stinson school district when school begins in
the fall.  (IJ photo/Frankie Frost)

 

From time to time, Weber has passed some of his renowned organic produce over the fence, so to speak, for the school children's lunches.

When school starts this fall, the students in the Bolinas-Stinson Union School District will be served fresh food - meats and produce and dairy products - from Weber's fields and from all of Marin's organic farms.

Helge Hellberg is the executive director of Marin
Organics. Hellberg, who was born in Germany, says,
I always had a sense of home when I visited the Bay
Area.'  (IJ photo/Frankie Frost)

 

Hellberg sat down with the Independent Journal last week somewhat reluctantly.

"I don't want this to be about me; there is so much going on here," says Hellberg, 38, when first contacted about a feature story.

(Photo/ Ashley Harrell)

 

“They saw me coming and tried to pop out of the ground,” Carlsen quipped from behind bad-boy shades. He joined 21 more volunteers at Sally and Mike Gale’s ranch for the first Saturday weeding set to Bach tunes provided by flutist Rita Fabrizzio.

Marin Organic Welcomes Their Royal Highnesses
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

 

MARIN COUNTY, CALIF (November 1, 2005) – The royal visit of the Point Reyes Farmers Market, operated by Marin Organic, and organic farms in West Marin, scheduled for November 5th, focuses a world spotlight on efforts of Marin Organic and many other organizations in Marin County working to promote and protect sustainable agriculture.

"We are working to create the first all-organic county in the nation. A county in which residents and eaters recognize their mutual interdependence," says Helge Hellberg, Executive Director of Marin Organic. "And the visit of The Royal Highness and his wife is such an amazing honor and confirmation that our work here is of critical importance far beyond our county line," says Hellberg.

Are you gorging on fossil fuels?
San Francisco Chronicle
Carol Ness

Growing our food eats up an astounding 10 percent of the energy consumed in this country - an estimated 100 billion gallons of oil per year.

And when you add the amounts used trucking and flying food to market, keeping your milk and veggies cold, and processing all those breakfast cereals and energy bars, the figure rises to an estimated 17 percent.

That's a whole lot of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere for each bite you eat.
The sheer size of those numbers, though, provides an opportunity. It means there's a lot you can do with your everyday choices to put America's food production on an energy diet.