[promotion] Spring springs local organic food.

You Know It's Spring When...

The other day my wife found the first local asparagus of the season grown in the well cared for earth of Full Belly Farm. Ground temperatures have to warm up quite a bit before asparagus shoots up. When it does, it grows fast. if you haven't yet, try this recipe from a posting in the past. It might bring tears of joy to your eyes.

Over 36% of organic foods produced in this country come from California. Full Belly Farm and others in the Capay Valley contribute to this number. Most of this California food makes its way into the marketplace through wholesales. Only a small fraction, < 3%, make it to us eaters through farmers' markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture). I am so grateful for the farmers who do bring their food directly to us. It's a chance to thank those who offer food that's good for me, my family, and the earth in person.

-- Preston J. Maring, MD

About the author: Dr. Maring is a physician and surgeon with 36 years of experience in obstetrics and gynecology, and an administrator who helped start an innovative neurosurgery unit for children. He's also a skilled cook with a passion for food.

Lately, Maring has turned his attention to the administrative side of medicine. First he helped establish a new pediatric neurosurgery unit, and then his interest in organic foods led him to create the Friday Fresh Farmer's Market at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in May 2003. The weekly food fest was a hit, and dozens more Kaiser Permanente facilities have opened their own markets. Maring, meanwhile, has become a vocal advocate for using locally farmed, organic produce in the health care industry.

And most evenings he's back in his own kitchen, experimenting with recipes ranging from spice-rubbed chicken with mustard-chive sauce to Baja seafood chowder.

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