Blog | Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op

A variety of apples on a cloth backdrop.

It’s Apple Season!

There are key varieties of apples that pinpoint where we stand in apple season. We consider the true beginning of apple season in Sacramento when the Gravensteins from Sebastopol appear, usually by August first.

The season is at its peak in October with Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and loads of other varieties. You know the season is slowing down when you see Arkansas Black. Shortly after that, growers put their harvested apples into cold storage to ship to us as we need them well into springtime.

Co-op employees posing for a photo at Soil Born Farm

A Day at Soil Born Farms

During my visit to Soil Born Farm, I got to experience a small look into what urban farming is all about. I was able to plant different lettuce blends and better understand how these vegetables grow. To my surprise, a lot more work goes into growing lettuce than I imagined. Putting lettuce in the ground is one thing, however, making sure they flourish is another.

A close up of a farmers hands planting produce in a farm field.

Farm To Fork on the Co-op Scoop

The Co-op has been building strong relationships with local farmers and ranchers for over 45 years, so of course we love Farm to Fork month! We feel the solidarity when the rest of Sacramento joins us to celebrate the folks who work so hard to steward the land and nourish us.

So if you’d like to dig in and learn more about our local farmers and ranchers and other programs that support our local farmers, we’ve rounded up a list of podcast episodes featuring these fine folks.

A farmer carrying a tray of freshly picked fruit through a field.

Round Up At The Register — Soil Born Farms

September is Farm to Fork month and we’re kicking it off by featuring our Round Up at the Register recipient, Soil Born Farms! We feel such a sense of pride in our strong relationship because we have supported them in their growth since the beginning. Farmers Shawn Harrison and Marco Franciosa began their small for-profit urban farm on Hurley Way in 2000. In 2002, Co-op’s Marketing Manager at the time, Janet Whalen Zeller joined their team as a co-director to support their shared vision. In 2004, the three founders transformed the farm into a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

A wide view of mobile chicken coops on a farm with mountains in the distance.

Pasturebird — Reinventing Poultry Production

There is a misconception that chickens labeled as “free range” and “cage-free” and even “organic” have been raised outdoors. Unfortunately, that is not the case and poultry production has a long way to go to reach the idyllic conditions most folks envision with those labels. In 2019, 99% of U.S. farm animals were raised on a factory farm.

And as our country’s cultural values continue to shift to speed, convenience and low-cost food options, Pasturebird was developed to show that there is a better way. Pasturebird’s vision is to reinvent agriculture and to lead the way to a future where factory farms don’t exist.

Eileen at a Co-op picnic with a plate of food.

More Than A Grocery Store – Reflections of A Member

Hello, my name is Eileen, I moved to Sacramento in April 1990. The first and most important need upon arriving in a new city was obtaining organic food. Landing in the suburbs I realized that organic food was many miles away, Downtown. Also on my list of needs were a job and a place to live. So, I headed Downtown.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op had just moved in Sept. 1989 from Freeport Blvd. to S Street and Alhambra Blvd. The “New Store” was big and bright, full of creative staff and members. Enthusiasm and commitment to success were evident in one’s shopping experience.