The Community Alliance with Family Farmers announces Humboldt County’s 2nd annual Local Food Month, a celebration of local farms, local food, and local abundance. September will be filled with events dedicated to cultivating awareness and appreciation for our local foods through a series of fun and informative events offering irresistible opportunities to get a taste of local Humboldt County agriculture and celebrate our local abundance.

Local Food Month launches on Sunday, Sept. 7, with a “Taste of Place Garden Soiree” hosted by Redwood Roots Farm in Bayside. This garden setting soiree includes the best samplers of our local vegetables, fruits, wines and great music starting at 4 p.m. This fundraiser will advance CAFF’s work supporting farm to school programs throughout Humboldt County. Tickets are for sale in advance for $15 at The Rookery, The Northcoast Co-ops or Farmers Markets and will be $20 at the gate. The farm is located one mile down Jacoby Creek Road in Bayside.

The appetizer menu will be catered by Celebrations Catering with many local wines poured and available by the glass. Appetizers include marinated, roasted red and yellow pepper crostini, smoky chipotle hummus or eggplant and tomato spread on brio bread, gorgonzola stuffed figs, and local cypress grove chevre with fresh fruit and herbs.

Get to know the farmers whose harvest feeds our families. Now more than ever the importance of turning to our local food sources is becoming apparent. Strengthening our local food systems increases the viability for all our family farmers to sustain their way of life, protect our agricultural lands and provide high quality delicious foods to our community.

Humboldt CAFF was formed in October 2006 by uniting “Friends of Humboldt County Farmers Markets” with the Farm to School program. CAFF works to promote Humboldt County agriculture, provide nutrition education, and support market development and institutional sales for local farmers. Past projects include the Farm-to-Table Calendar and the 2005 and 2006 Farm Tours. The chapter is part of a statewide organization building a movement of rural and urban people in support of family farming and sustainable agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies and promotes social justice.

For more information and to view the complete Local Food Month calendar, visit www.caff.org/regions/humboldt.shtml or contact CAFF at 444-3255 or humboldt@caff.org. Many of the events are free and located at local farms. Partners include local farms, community groups, the North Coast Co-op, and the County of Humboldt.