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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

June 30, 2004

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The little boy's face was blotched in purple, and so were his ears, his pudgy hands and his once-white T-shirt. He had had a first-hand encounter with olallieberries at Coastways Ranch on Highway 1, just south of Ano Nuevo State Reserve on the rugged San Mateo County coast.

A group of adults who had just completed Coastal Trails and Berries, a hike this past Sunday sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance, found harvesting at the pick-your-own-berries ranch less challenging than dodging poison oak on the part of their guided 6-mile hike that took them into the shrubby dunes.

It's one of several outings that Greenbelt, an almost 50-year-old San Francisco nonprofit conservation organization, has planned for the summer, designed to showcase agricultural ventures close to the metropolitan area. Most are free, although registration is generally required to keep the groups to a manageable size.

The next events with food orientation -- identified by a bunch of cherries on the Greenbelt outings calendar -- include a visit to J&P Farms, one of the last fruit farms within the city limits of San Jose. This free tour with bring-your-own picnic is July 11.

The following Friday, July 16, offers a tour of Straus Family Farm, the groundbreaking Marin county organic dairy, where participants have a chance for a face-to-face encounter with the cows that produce Straus' award-winning dairy products, learn about organic practices and end with an easy hike along Tomales Bay.

Unless it's just a stroll through a farm, Greenbelt outings are rated from easy to hard-core (care to climb El Capitan?), with the number of miles and elevation gains identified by a rating system.

Upcoming events include Coastal Farm and Forest near Half Moon Bay, July 18 ($5 fee); Solano Herbs and Fruit, July 24; Napa Valley Harvest, July 25 ($5); Tierra Vegetables in Sonoma, Aug. 22; and Sonoma Cornucopia, Sept. 11.

For a printed schedule of Greenbelt outings, call (415) 255-3233 or e-mail info@greenbelt.org. Online information and registration is at www.green belt.org. Coastways Ranch expects to have berries for picking until the end of this week; call (831) 469-8804 for information.

-- Karola Saekel

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