Test PB Collection: FTE

A little book about diversity, adversity, tenaciousness, extraordinary devotion & FOOD! Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) and the Marin County Community Development Agency launched Marin Farm FamiliesStories & Recipes at the Marin County Fair and at the Point Reyes Farmers Market in July.

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.

Miguel Villarreal runs a program that brings farm-fresh foods to Marin County schools.

Mark Prado Marin Independent Journal Randy Lafranchi has made the difficult task of farming in West Marin into a treat for hundreds of families each year as he converts two acres of his Nicasio ranchland into a pumpkin patch. And it's not any type of pumpkin patch.

Five years ago the talk was about how great it would be if we could convince food buyers of the overall health and benefits of buying locally. Well, guess what? Its happening.

The Marin Sonoma Livestock Workgroup met on August 2 to go over several important topics. The workgroup has expanded and forty people were present. Dr. Lauren Gwin reported her research on conventional livestock operations in Marin County.

Taste of Marin is a feast for the senses - Vietnamese-style seared beef salad with Allstar Organic basil and tomatoes; Drakes Bay smoked oysters on homemade potato chips; Clark Summit pork, Chileno Valley Ranch pears, and Point Reyes Original Blue cheese on a crustini of Brickmaiden bread.

Progress: Agrarian author and poet Wendell Berry was a guest at a luncheon sponsored Friday by Marin Organic, a nonprofit that promotes local organic farming, at Star Route Farms in Bolinas.

By Sharon Palmer, RD Todays Dietitian Vol. 7 No. 9 P.

"Dio" Choperena grew up in northern Spain, immigrated to the United States and made popular TV commercials.