Welcome to “Tales from the Field,” the California Farm to Fork blog!

California farmers grow so many of the foods we need for a healthy diet. We want to make sure that all Californians, no matter where they live or what they earn, get to eat these nutritious and delicious foods. This means helping individual consumers, food service institutions (like schools and hospitals), and community groups connect directly with our growers.  It also means understanding more about our food – where it comes from, who grows it, how to get it, and how to cook it.

Many organizations around the state are already working to bring Californians food straight from the farm – you can check out some of the amazing work going on around the state on our website’s “Explore Local Efforts” page.  We will feature more stories and tips from groups working in the field to help you learn about what’s going on and how different organizations are tackling different issues.

On our “Regional and Seasonal” page, you can learn about which crops are grown around our state and when they’re typically in season.  This rough guide to seasonal and regional produce also contains links to recipes for some inspiration on how to turn these local fruits and vegetables into tasty meals.  Planning ahead? You can check what’s growing any time of the year by changing the month in the drop-down menu.

As the website develops, we will include information on more California agricultural products – including whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy – and house additional resources for farmers, school food service, and other institutional food providers. Please fill out our survey to help guide our website’s direction.

Welcome to CA Farm to Fork.  And please, dig in!

***The California Farm to Fork Office is a project of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, with support from the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Education***