There are many resources for us to eat organically here in the Bay Area. We are lucky to have such an abundance of choices. Here we concentrate on resources for the San Francisco peninsula and South Bay, but we have included a number of listings for those of you in the City and in the East Bay as well. We hope you elect to take advantage of some of them. Please send any additions, corrections, or feedback to the .

Visit the California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets for complete listings of Farmers' Markets in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Top

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms provide fruits and vegetables to you. Typically, they deliver a box of fresh, seasonal produce to a drop-off point near you. You contract directly with the farm on a weekly, seasonal, or other basis, providing local, organic farmers with steady income. Also, you know exactly where your food comes from.

To find a CSA near you, visit the Community Alliance of Family Farmers (CAFF). The website lists CSA's in your area, with contact information, farming practices, and delivery costs and arrangements.

Organic CSAs in Santa Clara County

The farms listed below are certified organic.

Live Earth Farm
172 Litchfield Lane
Watsonville, CA
(831) 763-2448
email: farmers@cruzio.com
Weekly deliveries of fresh, delicious. seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Full Belly Farm
530-796-2214
P.O. Box 251, Guinda, CA 95637
email: belly@fullbellyfarm.com

Hidden Villa CSA
26870 Moody Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
650/949-8647 Fax: 650/948-4159

Homeless Garden Project
Contact: Darrie Danzhorn, Patrick Williams, Chrissy Brewer, Rosie Demmin
P.O. Box 617 (mailing)
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
831/426-3609 Fax: same number

Two Small Farms (Mariquita Farms & High Ground Organics)
PO Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077-2065
831-786-0625
email: csa@twosmallfarms.com

Top

These are real time-savers. If shopping time is a barrier to your cooking, consider these handy services. They deliver fresh fruits and vegetables right to your door, once a week or every two weeks. They bring whatever is in-season. You can usually select veggies only, fruit only, or the standard veggie-fruit combo. Most now allow you to special-order extra food, and can be reached via the web. Usually the food is well-tagged with information on what farms the food comes from.

Farm Fresh to You
Contact: Kathleen Barsotti
23808 State Hwy 16
Capay, CA 95607
800/796-6009 Fax: 530/796-3344

Planet Organics
915 Cole St. #172
San Francisco, CA. 94117
1-800-956-5855
email: service@planetorganics.com

Westside Organics
3202 Investment Blvd.
Hayward, CA 94545
(510) 786-1300

Top

More organic food is being sold in grocery stores now than every before. Organic food was a 9+ billion dollar business in 1999, as opposed to being less than a billion in 1990. The advantage of shopping in grocery stores is that you can select what you want, but the disadvantages are that often you don't know how far away the food has come from, and often you pay more than you would at a Farmer's Market, CSA farm, or even with a delivery service.

JOJO's Market and Deli
520 College Avenue. Right across the street from Common Ground! This market has great and great big deli sandwiches, lovely fresh produce, and a real butcher. A great place to go for lunch in-between your Common Ground gardening classes!

Berkeley Bowl Foods
2020 Oregon St
Berkeley, CA
(510) 843-6929

Country Sun Natural Foods
440 S. California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 324-9190

Rainbow Grocery Co-Op
1745 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 863-0620

Sigona's Farmer's Market
The Sigonas are very personable local produce vendors; their two stores are in Palo Alto and Redwood City. They provide a year-round assortment of certified-organic and pesticide-free choices from local farmers, including leafy greens, stone fruit, melons, and more. Look for the Sigona-label organic olive oil!

Top

Join together with others who share your quest for healthy organic eating.

Gourmet Vegetarian Dinners
sponsored by the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community
Every Monday, 6:30 PM at First Baptist Church, Palo Alto.
305 North California Avenue at Bryant, 1/4 mile East of Alma
Sit Down or Take-out, $15.
For reservations, call 650 599-3320 by Monday 9:30 AM.

The MacroChef
Cooking up great food for a healthy life
The experienced and talented Gary Alinder, the Monday Night Gourment Vegetarian Dinner chef, has a popular blog about vegetarian and non-vegetrarian recipes, nutritional tips and great eating ideas!

SF Vegetarian Society Monthly Potluck
Second Saturday of every month.
SF Vegetarian Society, P.O. Box 2510, San Francisco, CA, 94126-2510
(415) 273-LIV1
contact@sfvs.org

Top

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA
(510) 548-5525

The Cool Café
Cantor Arts Center,
Stanford, CA
info@cooleatz.com
650-725-4758

Flea Street Cafe
3607 Alameda de las Pulgas
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 854-1226
info@cooleatz.com

Greens Restaurant
Fort Mason in San Francisco, on the Marina
(415)771-6222

Millennium Restaurant
580 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-345-3900
Fax: 415-345-3941
info@millenniumrestaurant.com

Minako
2154 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 864-1888

Razans Organic Kitchen
2119 Kittredge
Berkeley, CA 94704

White Lotus Restaurant
80 N Market St
San Jose, CA 95113,
(408) 977-0540

Zuni Café
1658 Market St.
San Francisco, CA
(415)552-2522

More Restaurants
America Fresh lists more local restaurants who have "committed to using only the freshest organic produce from local farmers."

Top

Buying local brands saves the large energy costs involved in the long-distance transport of foods, and also supports your local economy. These organic foods are being made right in our back yard, the greater Bay Area. All are family-run operations. Look for them and support them!

Acme Bread Company's delicious organic loaves are made in Berkeley.

Bay Bread Premium Bread 201 East Harris, South San Francisco, CA 94080. 650-866-4262. Made with organic flour. Delicious variety of yummy breads. Can be purchased at a local stores and farmer's market

Giustos organic flours and other baking products are produced in San Francisco.

Grace Baking Company sells many (though not all - look at the label) organic breads, made in Oakland and Albany.

Harmony Bakery uses organic flour (from Giusto's!) to make their breads in Palo Alto.

Now and Zen makes its vegan cakes, cookies, meat alternative products and toppings right in San Francisco.

Santa Cruz Organic juices, applesauce, chips, hummus, and other products are produced and mostly grown in the Santa Cruz area.

Strauss Family Creamery organic dairy products are produced in Tomales Bay in Marin. Elizabeth Strauss and the Strauss family have been instrumental pioneers in preserving small, local farms with the Agricultural Land Trust movement.

Vital Vittles Organically great breads and baked boods are made in Berkeley.

Wildwood Natural Foods organic tofu and soy foods are made in Santa Cruz and Fairfax.

Find more organic brands (not quite as local) at http://www.organickitchen.com/foods.html

Top