Staff reports
LAKE COUNTY — At the height of local produce availability in Lake County, Lake Co-op sourced its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes from all Lake County farms this past week while adding a new farm”s products to its individual offerings.
The boxes were filled with Bjinje potatoes and eggplants from Bio Farm in Kelseyville, Heirloom cucumbers, tomatoes and basil from Leonardis Organics in Lakeport and Gala apples from Soda Bay Ranch in Kelseyville.
In the same week, Green Horse Wheatgrass Farm in Kelseyville, one of the largest wheatgrass farms in Northern California, added its products to the co-op”s online ordering catalog.
Owner Michael Blum gave co-op customers free samples of pea green sprouts. The Blums will offer the pea green sprouts and flats of wheatgrass to co-op customers.
Wheatgrass is considered a high-energy food and mostly juiced. It can be added to other juices or drank on its own.
According to the Hippocrates Institute, wheatgrass juice “increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. It cleanses the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract of debris. Wheatgrass also stimulates metabolism and the body”s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It also aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body.”
Situated in the Red Hills area of Lake County, Green Horse is a family-owned-and-operated certified organic farm. Michael and Bess Blum live on the farm and do all of the work from planting and harvesting to distributing.
“We”re so fortunate to have such health conscious farmers in Lake County,” co-op chair Janine Smith-Citron said. “We hope all of Lake County can enjoy the flavor and health benefits of their products.”
Lake Co-op now has six locations surrounding the lakeside communities of Clearlake, Clear Lake Riviera, Lakeport, Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks as well as two in Lower Lake, one in Hidden Valley Lake, one in Middletown and one in Cobb.
Details on all the co-op”s drop points can be found at www.lake.coop.
Other recent efforts by the co-op to increase local consumption of locally produced organic food through its online ordering and distribution system include wholesale sales, sales to the public, weekly subscriptions to favorite products, home/office delivery at a cost of $5 to most addresses and telephone ordering.
Customers can place orders from Sunday at 12:01 a.m. to Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., either through an online shopping website or by calling 993-4270. Customers can choose from the CSA box (a mix of fruit and vegetables), individual fresh and processed foods, such as oils, breads, cakes, and sea vegetables. Customers pick up their orders at the drop points throughout Lake County on Thursdays.
For a list of all producers, products and drop points, and more information on ordering, visit the co-op”s website at www.lake co-op.org or call 993-4270.
