MamaCez: earthbound farm

Earthbound Organic Farm started here in Carmel, CA and continues to offer fresh organic produce and flowers.

A brief lesson on 'Organic":
What is Organic?
The USDA's National Organic Program prohibits the use of harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and irradiation (process by which an object is exposed to radiation).

Dirt defines Organic! Organic farming is focused on building healthy soil by building healthy ecosystems in the farms such as cover cropping, crop rotation, composting and planting beneficial insect habitat and host crops.

How do you know what is truly organic?
It has the USDA Organic Seal.

The Farm Stand

We strolled their organic gardens...

Map of the farm

Lovely Lavender.. smelled so good!

They had all kinds of berries to pick from all fresh, sweet and delicious! My favorite was the yellow/golden ones.

I was most impressed with the their Cafe. I had the most delicious panini sandwich and Hannah had two bowls of chicken noodle soup.

Did you know that Earthbound Farm was the first company to successfully launch pre-washed bagged salads for retail sale in 1986?

Their Organic Kitchen is only the 3rd certified organic kitchen in the US serving all handmade foods from all organic salads, soups, bakery treats, smoothies, yogurt and ice cream!

After lunch we had to check out the lighthouse. Since the house was just right across from where we were staying, we had to check it out! It's the oldest 24/7 working lighthouse on the west coast!

Point Pinos Lighthouse celebrates 159 years in operation. It is a continuously operating lighthouse and it's beacon flashing nightly as a guide and warning to ships off the CA coast.

Going up the tower..

But the highlight of the day was our evening whale watching tour!

Traveling on the Sea Wolf II run by Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center

We were very lucky this weekend because there had been a high influx of anchovies into the Monterey Bay which was attracting a lot of whales to feed on.

It was slightly chilly.. Sandy was smart and brought some towels!

The Monterey Submarine Canyon is close to the shore allowing deep water species of whales, dolphins and seabirds to be near the coast.

These are humpback whales that travel in pods of 4-6 mothers with their calves.

These waters are an extremely productive feeding area for many whales and dolphins. Plus with the uniqueness of the canyon these beautiful large creatures can get as close as one mile from the shore.