If you were to ask Claire if she saw herself owning the business Big Dipper Baby Food, the answer would be yes to seeing herself owning a business; she just didn’t know owning a business would come in the form of a baby food establishment. For a woman who tried her hand at a number of diverse careers before finally settling with Big Dipper, owning a business was something she always wanted to do. Claire considers a number of happenings to be the reason why Big Dipper was created. These include the passion she had for food that came from growing up with a Mom who was a Chef, the birth of her first son Forrest, and the realization that the market for baby food lacked fresh and healthy alternatives.

Currently Big Dipper offers 11 pureed items on the core menu,which include 5 vegetarian options and 3 single ingredient options. With unique product names like Baby Dahl (roasted bananas, lentils, blueberries, coconut oil) and Baby’s First ABC’s (baked apples, roasted beets, braised carrots, ginger), I couldn’t help but be curious as to what ingredients were contained in each. Costumers seem to agree, as Claire mentioned that the general reaction from parents of her baby food is overall excitement  curiosity and enthusiasm. Claire believes in only finding the freshest and most local ingredients. Places Claire obtains ingredients from include Three Stone Hearth and Earls Organic Produce, and the freshness of her ingredients is evident, as only the brightest of colors and richest of textures can physically be seen in her baby food. To add to the effective presentation of the baby food is the fact that mason jars are used as packaging for the baby food, in which costumers can bring back their used jars and get them refilled again.

At one point during my interview I asked Claire what advice she would give for other mothers who might be looking for healthier baby food options. She smiled, and said, “Try making it yourself. Baby’s like what you like, so instead of being intimated by making it, try it”. I believe this rings true to the overlying message that while we are consumers by nature, we can also be creators, and come up with our own food creations, like baby food.

To add to this truth that we have the potential and resources to create our own healthy foods, Claire stated, “its a way of eating we have let go of. I am trying to get back to that”. Big Dipper Baby Food is definitely a powerful outlet for this change to occur. After all, even the tiniest ones deserve healthy food options too.

For more information visit http://bigdipperbabyfood.com/

Before I delve into the powerful and intriguing statements Betsy made that I now carry with me inwardly, it’s important that I paint a picture of how “From the Fields” came to exist. It starts with Betsy Fields as a young 15 year old girl, immersed and connected to  the food system during the time, wanting to keep her body a healthy temple, visiting farmer’s markets with the simple longing to be surrounded by the people passionate about their products,  and feeling a continuos passion for the home made granola that was always made in her household. Fast forward to just two years ago, when Betsy found herself still loving granola and making it for family and friends who urged her to give the granola the chance to thrive as a business. Betsy reflected on the fact that making granola was never intended to be a business, but was indeed her passion. However once her granola transitioned from a hobby to a business, Betsy found herself with a high demand for her granola and thus From the Fields took off.

Currently, with From the Fields being just two years old, there has been a tremendous amount of success within the business. With buyers such as WholeFoods, Bonapetite, Woodlands Market, Rainbow Co-op, and Good Earth Natural Foods, From the Fields has quickly established themselves within the market. The types of granola shelved at these establishments   include original, Orange Ginger, Currant, Fruit Ambrosia, Honey Lavender, Cherry Almond, Pineapple , Coconut, and Cardamom Rose. With all the delicious granola that is produced, packaging is always a huge factor to consider when making a product. Luckily for Betsy, the only packaging she would stand for when it came to her granola was one that is biodegradable and compostable. Taken from their website, From the Fields states, “after you’ve enjoyed the granola, feed the bag to your plants!”

As for those inspirational words and stories I listened to , as Betsy spoke during our interview, I can still feel their existence within my mind. I listened to Betsy state when referring to when the food system was transparent and people took passion and pride in telling the story of their food, that, “it was always that way, the system broke”. As a continuum to that statement, I listened to Betsy state, “even our natural food system is a bit broke”. I listened as Betsy told touching stories of her passionate daughter, who  at the age of 7 has already decided to devot her life to the good of the environment by using her gift of singing and making up songs, as a way to draw people in, to the goodness of the earth. I listened, and listened, and listened, and by the end of the interview I had so much more than just two pages of notes. I had this amazing story of how one mother and environmentalist, uses her business not only as a way to get her products out to the public, but as a way in which to continuously enlighten herself as well as others, about the need to care and nurture the environment. She does this with a whole hearted passion and dedication to seeing people transform into nurturing protectors.

Somewhere during that interview, this very aspect touched me, and made me realize, that a product is truly valuable when the story behind its existence contains a person having a raw passion and love for the environment. Kudos to From the Fields. Only two years old and you are well on your way to becoming something remarkable. Perhaps you already have.

Once getting past the cute and old fashioned outside decor of the bakery, inside we learned a bit of history. Bread Garden Bakery officially opened in 1973. Since then the baker has always wanted to stay true to that special location (who could blame him! ). Although the bakery can be considered small, you would never think it once seeing the large spread of  delicious baked goods that are produced on site at the bakery.

The bakery strives to use as many organic ingredients as possible but firmly believe in using only local ingredients. Just some of these baked goods include, macaroons, brownies, cookies (including cranberry, chocolate, and sugar cookies), and tarts. I even noticed a tray of doggie treats for those lucky dogs whose owners decide to buy them a little something!

In regards to where their products are sold, the answer is that the majority of the selling goes on right inside of the bakery, with exception to selling some products at The Berkeley Bowl. I believe there is something to say about how local and simple Bread Garden keeps things. In many ways after visiting the quaint bakery I really did get a sense of being back in time, in this space that mimics how the traditional small town bakery used to be; simple, friendly, with great baked goods, and a heavy sense of care and commitment to the local customers that walk through the door. For that, I commend Bread Garden Bakery .

Bovine Bakery was established 20 years ago by owner Bridget Devlin who believed in keeping the location of the bakery the same since the very beginning of the establishment. I was impressed to learn that all of the ingredients are local and some are organic, including the butter and flour . As  one of the workers at the bakery informed me, all of the ingredients are sourced locally from surrounding establishments like Brick Maiden Bread, Thanksgiving Coffee, Chai Baba, and Marin Sun Farms. The list of course goes on and the more local places named, the more I began to realize the inspiring and strong connection the bakery has with its fellow establishments within the area. This close knit relationship between establishments is a key to  not only healthy dialogue between food establishments, but a vital component to food transparency.

We asked the famous question, “which baked good/goods are favorites amongst costumers”, and of course the reply was that there isn’t just a favorite. However I learned that the Almond Muffin is pretty popular along with the fruit pies. There were also crossants, cookies, danishes, quiche, soup, and a variety of coffee and tea. It is common knowledge that there is on any given day a line outside the door of eager customers awaiting the fresh goods.

So to follow Albert Gyorgyl quote , Bovine Bakery might seem like many other bakeries on the outside, but once stepping inside and learning its story, I developed an appreciation for the bakery’s commitment to local and organic foods, as well as open dialogue, that I might not have developed, if I hadn’t taken the journey out to Point Reyes Station. So for the treck, I am thankful.

Visit Bovine Bakery’s word press here!

At the farm stand in Downtown Berkeley, I met Geneva Brooks, daughter of Corie and Jim Brooks. She explained how the start up of her parent’s farm was her mom’s idea back in 1996, and the idea for the name of the farm came from her father’s longing to have the farm named after his daughters. Since then the sprout farm has continued to be successful, with 95% of the sprouts being serviced to people. While the farm may not be certified organic, Jim and Corie still incorporate some organic practices into the management of their farm, like their use of  organic seeds and compost.

Speaking of seeds, at the farm a variety of sprouts and other products are grown and sold including, Wheatgrass, African Violets, Eggs, Alfalfa Clover, Brocoli Salad Mix, and Fenugreek Salad Mix.

Brooks and Daughters is a great example of how people can use farms in order to grow unique and fresh crops, like sprouts. While the rain might have made it a bit tricky to tackle farmer’s markets, I am thankful that I was lead to Brooks and Daughters. So I challenge you to get out there, despite weather conditions and explore your local farmers market. Rain or shine, you are always bound to make a unique discovery!

For more information on Brooks and Daughters and the delicious sprouts, click here.

What caught my attention most about the bakery is how passionate all of the people who work behind the scenes are. Panorama Bakery is extremely popular and present in the food industry, with over 400 accounts with restaurants and a weekly sale of 2200 loaves of bread, the bakery is extremely successful. Even though this kind of success is extremely impressive, what impressed me the most was the dedication and persistency, that still lies behind the products. It is so easy for a restaurant or a bakery for this matter, to get caught up in sales, status, presentation, etc. However Panorama Bakery had the feeling of an old fashion bakery, and the dedication workers applied to the process of making the bread, demonstrated how there really is no price to this kind of dedication.

Two things caught my attention while touring inside the bakery; the diverse selection of breads, and the machinery responsible for the production of the bread.

Inside the bakery as I rounded corners and walked through doors, I not only picked up on the delicious smell of fresh made bread; my eyes continuously captured the endless racks where the bread was stored. Bread types included, wheat, sourdough, rusticana, and focaccia bread. In addition to the breads I saw, I learned that the bakery produces hotdog buns, hamburger buns, and pizza dough.

Many helping hands go into the production of the various types of bread, both by hand and machine. One of the machines which is referred to as simply, “the bread molding machine”, was a impressive machine made up of many different parts and steps that were all responsible for shaping the bread. To go along with the bread molding machine were the multitude of ovens which all had to be constantly watched by one worker. This crucial task can be considered a heavy responsibility on the one worker who must remember which bread is in which oven, as to make sure the different types of bread don’t burn.

Although Panorama Bakery is known for its delicious breads and well known clientel, the bakery can aslo be commended on the detailed process that goes on  behind the scenes. That process serves as the function, organization, and passion of  making the bread.

Visit http://www.panoramabaking.com.

As I walked through the Market, I became aware of how much life there was bustling around me. Life radiated from not only the vendors, but the many familes as well, that had come out to enjoy the market. I watched as a young toddler held on to a strawberry. She stared at it almost as if trying to figure out where it came from. The beauty in that happening is that children old and young can use the market as a learning experience.

I came across one vendor where a young boy was handing out free orange samples.

He had a cheery look on his face and a polite tone to his voice. I thought how significant it was that at a young age he was already exposed and working with local and sustainable food. I thought about how this is how it all begins, when it comes to children and exposure of food. I smiled and took a sample from him, as he educated me on what it was that I was eating.

What I believe is extremely important and significant when it comes to the Fillmore Farmer’s Market is the powerful sense of community engagement and bonds. Everyone seemed to know someone else at the market, names were shouted across vendors, jokes and laughter were shared, and of course I can’t forget that soulful jazz constantly played. This sense of community and spirit is what markets should always be surrounded with. It makes for a more powerful and engaging experience when purchasing your local produce. At this particular Market you will find just that, and perhaps you will walk away at the end of your visit here with your own story, and maybe even a new tune or groove heard from the band.

Fillmore Farmer’s Market takes place every Saturday from 9 a.m-1 p.m, located at 1475 Fillmore Street.

Ferry Farms stand at the Fillmore Farmer’s Market.

Photo 2. Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots, Beets, Firme Farm

Firme Farm’s colorful and vibrant stand at the Fillmore Farmer’s Market

Photo 3. Inzana Ranch 

Inzana Ranch stand at the Fillmore Farmer’s Market

At Rosa Parks Elementary School, the idea of the garden was birthed from the principle’s longing to have a space in which community and environmental education could blossom. Thus the community garden was developed. Currently there are two gardens that reside at the elementary school; the front garden which houses a chicken coop, crop beds such as cauliflower, rainbow chard, and kale, and the main garden which is home to additional crops, a large compost bin, and the awesome roomy shed.

Many helping hands go into the conditioning of the garden including parents, children, and even staff! When walking around the garden, our tour stopped in front of a number of beds that were referred to as the “staff section”. I was told that these beds were adopted by staff, in which they picked a crop of their choice and have vowed to help maintain and watch over the crop. This is something that is not seen at very many school community gardens, so it was truly unique and intriguing to run into.

Currently the gardens are maintained by Nora along with a series of volunteers. She  is a passionate gardener who in addition to maintaining the gardens, runs a weekly garden class for the kids in which they learn about sustainability, garden principles/methods, chicken care, etc. The garden project also includes the kids learning about garden harvesting, which takes place through the once a month “Salad Day”, in which children harvest greens from both gardens and make salads that they then eat. This hands on process helps the children see directly where their food comes from, and creates in them, gardening and cooking skills.

The garden outreach program is one inspirational story of a partnership between children, parents, staff, and community members in which there is a common belief and understanding that environmental sustainability is one of the most important topics of education that children need to be learning and grasping as they go throughout their educational journey.

The community garden is always looking for passionate and helpful volunteers, so if interested pop on over to Rosa Park’s  website page for more information!

Upon walking into the market, I met one of the market specialists, Trevor. Right away I could feel his enthusiasm and passion for the market and knew we would walk away with some valuable history and information about the market…

The Market’s story begins in 1979 when Trevor’s family decided to open up the market. Although the market began and stayed small, there is importance to that, seeing that the market is able to hone in on individual clients, but also successful enough to buy the best local quality of seafood. Products of the market are all seasonal and are mostly from the West Coast but there are some exceptions including seafood that is sourced from the East Coast and Alaska.

In addition to buying locally, the market displays a tremendous amount of effort when it comes to the environment, all thanks to the family’s belief in sustainability. When talking to Trevor, he stressed how important sustainable fishing methods are to him and his family, and how it is important that all fisheries try and implement that. He then motioned me to join him behind the counter where he pulled up the Market’s website and showed me the sustainability page. Here the Market has dedicated a whole section of the website to educating costumers about sustainable fishing practices. This portion of the website includes Longlining methods, Dragging methods, Seining, Gilnetting, Dragging, Hooking and Lining, and additional sustainability methods dealing with shellfish.

Monterey Fish Market separates itself from other markets in its profound belief of sustainability and care for its products. With all the negative stigma that circulates around seafood markets, it is comforting to know that this market is making efforts to break away from harmful and unsustainable methods and promote sustainability. Although small and local, the market is seen by many as powerful for its efforts to be different.