The Conscious Co-op is officially here! 🌱🎉 The nation's first school-led organic purchasing co-op unites 17 California districts serving 225,000+ students! With districts statewide able to join through eligible piggyback purchasing, we're just getting started! 💚

2 inspiring days in Sacramento!🌱💚 From sharing the Conscious Co-op at the Nat'l Farm to School Network Partner Meeting to celebrating California’s farm-to-school momentum at Soil Born Farms, we are grateful for this community's commitment to local organic food for all students!

We recently partnered with @Mimis_Organic & @TheQueenofVegetables to bring school food leaders into the fields, connecting directly with the farmers growing fresh, organic food for their students. 🌱🍓🥬

Last week we brought our Organic Farm-to-School Workshop to CIA Copia in Napa. School nutrition leaders cooked with local chefs using fresh, seasonal ingredients, then broke bread with farmers and food makers. This is how organic farm-to-school moves forward. 💚

September Organic Produce of the Month: Apples!🍎 Crisp, sweet, & right in season, most apple varieties are ready for harvest between August – October, making now the perfect time to celebrate this school food favorite. Apples are also rich in fiber, vitamin C, & antioxidants.💚

September Organic Produce of the Month: Mini Peppers! Small, sweet, colorful, & packed with vitamin C, these warm-season crops thrive in full sun & regular harvesting. Swipe through to learn more about mini peppers, meet Antonio, & make a homemade Hummus Dip! 😋 🫑

Meet “Farmer Al” Courchesne of Frog Hollow Farm!🍑🌱 Growing stone fruit in Brentwood since 1976, he's a longtime advocate for healthy soil, biodiversity & conservation. Choosing organic means supporting farmers like Al who put care for the land at the heart of what they do. 💚

This week, WCCUSD Food Services kicked off the school year with Conscious Kitchen & local organic farmers. 🌱 Farmers from Frog Hollow Farm, Mimi’s Organic Farm & Queen of Vegetables shared their stories & how school-supported agriculture strengthens their farms & families. 💚

Meet Kat Soltanmorad of Tahoe Truckee USD, where fresh, scratch-cooked food is the standard. 🌱 Today, 80% of meals are scratch cooked and 75% of produce is local and organic—showing what’s possible when school food leaders turn their values into action. 📚💚

There’s nothing quite like tomatoes at peak summer. 🍅🌱 This recipe from Lagunitas School District brings together juicy cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and fresh citrus for a bright burst of summer flavor. Celebrate tomato season with us and try it at home! 💚

Meet Yadira Mendiola, aka The Queen of Vegetables. 🌱 She grows organic produce for local schools & aggregates romaine from neighboring small organic farms, helping more farmers access reliable school markets while getting fresh, local, organic food onto students’ plates. 💚

What’s more chic than feeding kids fresh, local, organic, seasonal, nutritious (FLOSN) food—all while supporting local farms and healthier ecosystems? 🌱Around here, these things aren’t just kinda chic, they’re how we believe school food should be. 💚

Meet Alex Emmott, Food & Nutrition Services Director at Mt. Diablo USD, where her team serves 24,000+ meals each day.🌱 From sourcing organic ingredients to supporting local farmers, Alex is helping show how school food can nourish students while building a healthier food system.

From a one-week experiment in Marin City to a network of 112+ school districts across California. 🌱 Thank you to The Defender for sharing the story of Conscious Kitchen and the many school food leaders, farmers, and partners building this work with us. buff.ly/D8abmAZ

Back to school means back to real organic food. 🌱 Over the next few weeks, we'll introduce you to the school nutrition leaders, organic farmers, partners, and students helping transform school food across California—one meal at a time. 💚

August’s Organic Produce of the Month: Tomatoes! 🍅 With 10,000+ varieties, tomatoes are a summer staple. Rich in vitamins C & K, potassium, and lycopene, they're nutritious and delicious. Choosing seasonal, organic tomatoes supports healthier soils, biodiversity, and planet. 🌱

August’s Organic Produce of the Month: Watermelon! 🍉 Sweet, refreshing, and packed with vitamins A & C, antioxidants, and citrulline, watermelon is the taste of summer. Choosing organic supports healthier soils, biodiversity, and more resilient farms. 🌱

What started over a decade ago in one CA school has grown into a statewide movement to make fresh, local, organic food the norm in schools. 🌱 We're honored to be featured by @CivilEats as we work toward organic school meals for all 6 million CA students. buff.ly/ohMCjFc

Back where it all began. 🌱 Three years after our first gathering at @CavalloPoint, we returned to launch the Conscious Kitchen Recipe Project and preview our new Recipe Dashboard. Read more on our blog buff.ly/GvUwb6M! 💚

Tomato season is here, and school kitchens are about to get a whole lot more colorful. 🍅☀️ Cherry tomatoes are a perfect example of how fresh, local, organic ingredients can make healthy meals both simple and delicious. What's your favorite way to enjoy summer tomatoes? 🌱