Locally Delicious, Inc.

"A recipe for change through the re-localization of our food system - one tomato at a time"

Locally Delicious is an incorporated, non-profit organization that supports the "re-localization" of the California North Coast food system and advocates for relocalization of food nationwide.

We have produced two editions of Locally Delicious: Recipes and Resources for Eating on the North Coast™, a unique, community-oriented cookbook and resource guide written specifically for the North Coast bio-region. With the profits from the sale of this book, we contribute to and participate in many community projects that support the local food system. Our next book, Lunchbox Envy™, will focus on how to use sustainable foods to plan healthy, affordable lunches for children. All proceeds will be re-invested in the Tri-County region of Northern California (Humboldt, Del Norte & Trinity counties).

• Educate children and adults about how to improve personal health, health of the community and the planet by the food choices we make.

• Help provide healthy, local, organic food to all in the community, not just the wealthy.

• Provide small grants to other community organizations with similar goals.

• Help to build a local sustainable food system. 

We, on the North Coast of California, are blessed with a temperate climate and a varied set of environments from oceans and rivers to coastal plains, valleys and forests. Each environment provides us with wonderful foods. We are also blessed with people who care about our food. Our farmers, ranchers, fishers and dairymen/women work hard to make healthy food available. Local grocers and restaurants support the farm community and we have organizations supporting our food system. We have the potential to sustain ourselves with local food.

Food History of the Bio-Region and Our Mission

Humboldt County, California has long been known the world over for its unusual agricultural practices. But, did you know that until about 60 years ago, Humboldt County produced a bounty of edible crops? Over its history the North Coast bio-region produced many types of prize winning grains including wheat and barley.  Fruits such as apples, pears and plums were in great abundance.  We were a leading supplier of potatoes for potato chips.  In 1951 we produced over 10 million eggs and had a healthy poultry industry. In the 1890's we exported over 20 million pounds of food a year to the San Franciso area. We were feeding ourselves and many others. Today we only supply 8-10% of our own food.

The "redwood curtain" was as real then as it is now. Being cut-off and miles away from the nearest metropolitan port is nothing new to residents of the bioregion. For centuries geographic challenges around the world dictated how various regions ate. It wasn't until large scale, industrial agricultural practices took over and big box grocery chains began offering sub-standard food at discount prices that the face of agriculture in this country changed. In modern times, we have watched these practices damage (sometimes irreparably) the health of our environments, local economies, societies and families. We recognize in our verdant lands and close-knit communities of the North Coast bio-region a chance to repair the damage and build something new. Please join us in our work in building healthier lands and people through food.