Happy summer!

In a recent Tasty Bites, we mentioned Cook SF, a new meal delivery service to San Francisco. Perfect for home on busy (or lazy) nights, or as a gift to new parents, vacationers, or anyone who'd like a quick, gourmet meal at home!

Once a week, Cook SF delivers all the ingredients to cook a scrumptious organic meal in 20 minutes or less.

This week only, we're giving away TEN FREE Cook SF Meal Kits to the first ten readers to email us! All you have to do is tell us one friend you think might enjoy our Tasty Bites newsletter. Voila, and you've got gourmet deliciousness delivered right to your door. You'll have until the end of September to choose from their tasty August menu or September menu.

What people are saying about Cook SF:
"As a full-time working Mom, my time is very limited, particularly when it comes to dinner....We love Cook! because in less than 15 minutes, my husband and I can have a a healthy and delicious dinner on the table. The ingredients are always fresh and the meals are creative. I've been waiting for a service like this!" - Suman in Noe Valley

"I never had the time to cook because of all the prep work involved, but Cook! made cooking fun and easy -- and the results were delicious!" - Amy in North Beach

Sustainable Food News launched earlier this year, and not only is it chock full of the latest food-related news, it's also extremely user-friendly and well-designed.

Sure, there are other food and farming websites out there, but Sustainable Food News has turned into the leading source of real-time news and market information for the organic, sustainable and natural food industries. Very useful and interesting for consumers as well as industry folks.

You can browse the latest headlines for free, but with an annual subscription, all the full articles are just a click away, and you get a daily newsletter as well. Contact Dan McGovern, founder and editor, to inquire about business or organization subscriptions.

Thanks to the new Ecorazzi site, you can keep track of what all those supah-stahs are doing to keep the earth green. Pheuw, now you can go on with your day!

One noteworthy news item, Elizabeth Hurley -- of Austin Powers and Hugh Grant fame -- has recently applied for her property to be certified organic and is going to produce sustainable, ethically-raised "proper" animals and produce. Cheers!

Oops... We mistakenly thought we had promo'd Coi and NoPa already, so we did not include them in our last newsletter highlighting new organic restaurants.

Please do check out both. Very different styles and atmospheres, but both use farm-fresh, organic produce from the SF Ferry Plaza Market:

• Coi: Daniel Patterson's new baby in North Beach/Jackson Square. (Reviews)
• NoPa: California cuisine in the new hot neighborhood: North of the Panhandle. (Reviews)

More organic restaurants

Just in July, another farmers' market opened in the Bay Area: Oakland's Temescal Market. This one has lots of organic farmers and vendors: Blue Bottle Coffee, Ella Bella Farm, Happy Boy Farm, Happy Girl Foods, Kashiwase, Little Bug Organic, Lucero Organic Farm, MacDonald's Organic Farm, Pinnacle Organic Produce, VB Organic, and more!

Sundays: 9am-1pm
Oakland DMV parking lot, 5300 Claremont Ave./Telegraph.

Market review by Bay Area Bites
More organic farmers markets

You asked for it, and we delivered! Check out the new Om Organics Site Map. Lots of info in that there site...

Any other feedback about our site and newsletters always welcome!

Isn't it nice when your petitions actually do something? Thanks to all of your signatures, the EPA finally joined 52 other countries and banned lindane from all agricultural uses. For those not hip on toxic substances, lindane is a neurotoxic chemical that's linked to brain tumors and hormone disruption.

Now that lindane's not being put in our foods, the next step is to get it out of our lotions and shampoos. (You'd think they could consolidate the ban, wouldn't you??)

Sign here!

Check our organically-inclined Events page for more happenins as they are announced.

The Eggplant Menu at Millennium Restaurant
Thu-Sun, 8/1/06-8/30/06
Millennium Restaurant, 580 Geary St./Jones in SF; $45/person prix fixe menu, $20/wine pairing

Frugal Foodies Tuesday Night Dinners
Tuesdays, 8/1/06-8/29/06, 6:30pm-9:30pm
A live-work studio in Southwest Berkeley; $7/person

McEvoy Olive Ranch Tour
Friday, 8/25/06, 10:00am-12:00pm
Meet at McEvoy Ranch, 5 miles south of Petaluma at 5935 Red Hill Rd. (aka D Street Extension or Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd.) in Point Reyes; $15 MALT member / $20 non-member

Biodiversity Celebration at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market
Sat, 8/26/06, 10:00am-1:00pm
North Arcade of the Ferry Building in CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen. in SF; Free

Organic Planet Festival
Sat, 8/26/06, 11:00am-8:00pm
Halvorsen Park in Eureka, Humboldt County; $10.00 admission fee; $5.00 before noon; kids 12 and under are free

Meet the Farmers: Durst Farms at Whole Foods
Sat, 8/26/06, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Whole Foods, Franklin/California in SF; Free

First Tomato Upick Day at Mariquita Farm
Sat, 8/26/06, 9:00am-3:00pm
Mariquita Farm in Hollister; Free

June Taylor Conserves Classes: Preserving in the Seasons
Sat or Sun, 8/27/06-9/24/06, 9:30am-1:30pm
Still-Room, 2207 4th Street in Berkeley; $125

Summer Sagra Dinner Series at Incanto: Figs!
Mon, 8/28/06
Incanto Restaurant, 1550 Church St., Noe Valley in SF; $60 per person, excluding beverages, tax, & service

Chez Panisse 35th Birthday
Mon, 8/28/06
Chez Panisse, 1517 Shattuck in Berkeley

Applegate Farms Demo at Whole Foods
Mon, 8/28/06, 12:00pm-4:00pm
Whole Foods, Franklin/California in SF; Free

Share Our Strength's Restaurants for Relief 2
Tue, 8/29/06
Participating restaurants across the country

Annual Heirloom Tomato Dinner at Millennium Restaurant
Wed, 8/30/06
Millennium Restaurant, 580 Geary St./Jones in SF; 5-Course prix fixe menu $60/person, 20/ optional wine pairing, $12 Bloody Mary Flight

Seasonal Cooking Demonstration - Linda Carucci of COPIA
Sat, 9/2/06, 10:30am-11:30am
North Arcade of the Ferry Building in CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen in SF; Free

Hog Island Oyster Co. & Straus Dairy
Thu, 9/7/06, 11:00am-3:00pm
Hog Island Oyster Co., Highway One in Marshall (10 miles north of Point Reyes Station); $25 MALT members / $30 non-members

A Conversation Between Wendell Berry and Michael Pollan
Fri, 9/8/06
Toby’s Feedbarn in Point Reyes Station; Food & wine tasting and talk: $50; Talk only: $25 – SOLD OUT

Seasonal Cooking Demonstration - Jamie Lauren of Prana
Sat, 9/9/06, 10:30am-11:30am
North Arcade of the Ferry Building in CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen. in SF; Free

Heirloom Tomato Festival at Kendall-Jackson
Sat, 9/9/06, 11:00am-4:00pm
Kendall-Jackson Winery, 5007 Fulton Rd. in Fulton; $60 per person

Michael Pollan, Author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and The Botany of Desire at the Commonwealth Club
Tue, 9/12/06, 6:00 p.m., Reception; 6:30 p.m., Program
Commonwealth Club Office, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor in SF; $8 for Commonwealth Members, $15 for Non-Members

Convert a Carnivore Day at Millennium
Wed, 9/13/06
Millennium Restaurant, 580 Geary St. in SF; 25% off!

Healthy Harvest Show
Fri-Sun, 9/15/06-9/17/06
Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara

McEvoy Ranch Tour
Fri, 9/15/06, 10:00am-12:00pm
McEvoy Ranch, 5 miles south of Petaluma at 5935 Red Hill Rd. (aka D Street or Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd), near Petaluma; $15 MALT member/ $20 non-member

Even a little snack! If you use these newsletters, use our website, or simply enjoy having delicious, organic food in the Bay Area, please support our programs that serve local, organic farms and the community. Om Organics is a project of the San Francisco Foundation - Community Initiative Funds, and can only continue with the help of contributions from conscientious people like you!

Any amount is appreciated!
You can make a donation:

• via Paypal.com: to donate@omorganics.org
• by credit card: via the

  THANK YOU!