IMG_20131004_102345

A few weeks ago I was flown out to Carmel Valley, California to visit the amazing home of my favorite organic veggie brand, Earthbound Farm.

IMG_20131002_175515I have to be honest with all of you.

I was speechless after this trip.

IMG_20131002_180032

Seriously.

Beyond impressed.

Beyond amazed.

Just beyond.

IMG_20131002_174456

I really cannot even begin to describe how magical this trip was.  It was by far three of the most amazing days of my life.  I learned about organic farming, food safety and so much more.

IMG_20131002_174703

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Earthbound’s founder, Myra who was quite possibly the coolest woman in the world. She grew up in Manhattan and then moved out to Cali and started this business in her very own living room. Yes, folks, that’s right…her living room. In 1986, they became the first company to successfully launch pre-washed, packaged salad for retail sale. They started a salad revolution when then they introduced their mixed baby greens or “spring mix” to restaurants and supermarket produce aisles.

IMG_20131002_181517

What amazed me was how so many of the Earthbound employees that I met, started working with Myra and her husband, Drew on their tiny farm and in their living room almost 25 years ago. Myra was so down-to-Earth; she joined us for dinner the first night we were in town where the Earthbound Farm Chef Sarah cooked us an amazing organic meal and we dined under the stars in a barn on the Earthbound fields. The meal was honestly the best tasting food I’ve ever had in my life. Everything tasted so fresh and the aroma of each dish was enough to make me want to take a spoon and eat the entire bowl!  The salads were filled with ripe avocados, heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, fruits, squash, quinoa and so much more! Everything was organic. EVERYTHING. From the second we arrived to the second we left- everything that we ate was organic and it was all grown right on the Earthbound fields!

IMG_20131002_181052

What I found amazing is that in every part of the Earthbound business, they do the right thing. Honestly, they do. They go beyond the requirements for food safety and regulations to make sure they are supplying their valued customers with the very best quality produce. They pay the extra cost to make sure we are safe … and that honestly impressed me so much that I wish I could convince everyone in this country to eat their products. Their facilities were spotless; and I mean spotless…

earthbound-farm

I’ve been in many factories before and this was the 5-star hotel of factories…it was beautiful and so efficient.  We were led on a tour throughout all of the fields- learning how each veggie and fruit is harvested. Then we took a tour through their entire factory and production line! They even make those recyclable plastic packages right there in their own factory! I was amazed that they produce everything from the containers to the veggies inside of them!

IMG_20131003_104516

Today, Earthbound Farm has become the country’s largest grower of organic produce, which is pretty amazing considering they started in their living room! I saw first hand, their passion, mission and commitment to being a positive change for our health and environment. They’re real. Real people like you and me. Not some big, fake company who is run by false advertising like so many other companies out there.  I’ve been buying Earthbound Farm products for years now and I can honestly say that I’ve also convinced my parents and sister in the last year to keep their fridge stocked with Earthbound- now that I’ve seen exactly what this brand is all about and how the organic vegetables are harvested, triple washed and cared for- I am on a mission to change the way America eats. Earthbound Farm has done an exceptional job of introducing the organic mission to so many of us and welcoming clean, organic food into our homes. And for that, I am so grateful.

IMG_20131002_184511

More Earthbound trip info to come soon…

Amie's
#1 Best-Selling Cookbook

Over 200 vegetarian recipes free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, eggs, peanuts, corn and other inflammatory foods.

Order Your Copy
Previous Post Cashew Butter n' Pecan Popcorn...
Next Post Creamy Asparagus Guacamole...
  • Share

15 comments

  1. I buy their organic salads all the time! The photos you took make the place look like the Garden of Eden. One day I’d like to visit a sustainable agricultural farm like that. Have a great weekend!

  2. Love your site and love this post. I was raised in northern California – the bay area. Carmel is like a second home to me. It’s a beautiful place. I’m living in northern Colorado about a half hour from Boulder. I really miss the great fresh produce that California has. Colorado is hit and miss on fresh organic produce, but not as bad as Utah. It will be so great when we have our garden next year. Oh, and thank you for the recipe – roasted papitas and sesame seeds. Amazing recipe. Everyone I share it with loves it. Amie you’re the best!

  3. I want to live there! Love that first photo with the onion, dill and tomatoes….looks like the start of something fabulous!