>> L.A.’s turning into a cyclist’s paradise for a day, when CicLAvia rolls into town. Come Sun., Sept. 12 from 10 am to 3 pm, 7 miles of roads from Boyle Heights to East Hollywood will be closed to cars — and open to bikes and vibrant, car-free streetlife. (via LAist)

>> Prep for CicLAvia by taking the FREE Confident City Cycling Course sponsored by the City of West Hollywood. Local bike activist Ron Durgin will be teaching the class, which includes a class session on Sat., July 10 and an on-the-road session Sat., July 17. Classes frun from 11 am – 4 pm both days; contact Ron at 424.288.1747 or rdurgin@gmail.com to sign up. (via Be a Green Commuter)

Photo by ubrayj02

>> Always wanted to practice with New York yoga star Tara Stiles? Through Vital Juice, I found out Tara’s teaching a free class in Hollywood next week. RSVP to hollywoodyoga@standardhotel.com or call 323.650.3001 to make sure there’s a spot for your mat on Tues., June 22 at 3 pm at The Standard Hotel, 8300 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.

>> Need regular yoga classes? You’re in luck. A new do-gooder organization called Heal One World — which basically seeks to make healthy living practices and therapies available at free or low cost — recently started offering free weekly yoga classes in Santa Monica and Venice. Donations are welcome, but classes are free. The Tuesday Hatha or Vinyasa Flow classes run from 5:15 pm – 6:20 pm at 1318 2nd St #21, Santa Monica, while the Friday Hatha Yoga classes run from 8 pm to 9:30 pm at 606 Venice Blvd. #H, Venice.

>> If you plan to spend time in Malibu this summer, get to the pier every weekend for Yoga On The Pier. These free weekly yoga classes on Malibu Pier happen every Saturday from 8:45 am to 10 am between June 19 and Sept. 4. Post-practice, yogis will get to enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast at the Beachcomber Café.

>> Still in high school? Then I hope you live in Hollywood, so you can take advantage of The Hollywood Hot Spot, a program that offers free summer art and yoga classes for local high school students. The fun begins July 17 at Helen Bernstein High School, 1309 N. Wilton Pl., Hollywood. RSVP to the office of your councilmember Eric Garcetti at 323.957.4500 or angela.motta@lacity.org.

Photo by Andrew Kalat

>> Get to City Hall on Hunger Action Day to voice your concerns to local elected officials about budget cuts to nutrition programs. Events begin Wed., June 2 at 4 pm on the City Hall South Lawn on Spring St., between 1st and Temple.

>> Wolfgang Puck’s declared Thursday Wolfgang Puck Iced Coffee Day. Get a free organic Wolfgang Puck Culinary Iced Coffee — which I can’t drink because they’re not lactoce-intolerance-friendly — at 5 Wolfgang Puck Bistro and Wolfgang Puck Express locations on Thurs., June 3: Downtown Los Angeles (11 am – 2 pm), Costa Mesa (11 am – 2 pm), Universal City (3 pm – 6 pm), Santa Monica (3 pm – 6 pm), and Westlake Village (3 pm – 6 pm).

>> Green gallery Eco-LogicalART presents Global Sustainability: Central America to Maine, featuring “a multi-media presentation showcasing cutting-edge sustainability projects across Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.” There’ll be a live DJ, an acoustic band, giveaways, beer, sustainable food, and ice cream! The event happens Thurs., June 3 from 6 pm – 9:30 pm at Eco-Logical ART Gallery, 4829 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $10 with a portion of proceeds donated to a featured project selected by the attendees. Earlier: Eco-LogicalArt turns old billboards into eco-art.

>> If you’re in the O.C., head over to The So Cal Green Solutions Expo to see the fastest “Green Machine” in America (above) — which runs on veggie oil and biofuel and can break 100 mph — and “Green Herbie — an electric VW. You’ll also be able to test drive greener vehicles, learn about saving money with wind power, get lessons on sustainable gardening, and browse the wares of more than 115 green exhibitors. The FREE festivities happen Sat., June 5 and Sun., June 6 from 10 am to 6 pm both days at Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

>> Celebrate World Oceans Day a day early at FusionStorm Foundation’s 1st annual fundraiser “My Ocean Planet” — to benefit Ocean Voyages Institute/Project Kaisei and its efforts to study clean up the the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — that scary vortex of plasticky trash in our ocean. You’ll get to mix and mingle with eco-conscious celebs while enjoying live music, entertainment, an open bar, auction, and raffle. The party happens Sat., June 5 from 6:30 pm – 11 pm at Malibu Lumber Yard, 3939 Cross Creek Rd., Malibu. Cost: $50.

>> After 22 years, Los Feliz’ green demonstration house Eco-Home is closing its doors — so don’t miss the last tours of Eco-Home that’ll teach you about sustainable urban living. The last two tours happen Sun., June 6 and Sun., June 27, starting at 2 pm both days Cost: $10. RSVP to 323.662.5207.

>> Weigh in on the Subway to the Sea at the Metro Westside Subway Extension meeting to discuss alignment alternatives connecting Beverly Hills and Century City. Be there Mon., June 7 from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Auditorium of Roxbury Park Community Center, 471 S. Roxbury Dr., Beverly Hills. Earlier: Update on the Subway to the Sea.

Photos via Wolfgang Puck and Green Solutions Expo

Want to play in the dirt — productively? Take a staycation by visiting Vital Zuman Organic Farm and Fig Tree Ranch in Malibu. This organically-farmed 6-acre spot has to be Malibu’s best kept secret — because while the farm’s been around for more than 50 years, the place is still quiet and peaceful — an idyllic eco-paradise of sorts offering figs, wild spinach, and sweet potatoes grown right by Zuma Beach.

Believe it or not, you can visit this nearby farm six days out of the week, whether to buy very local and healthy yummies — or to get the stuff free by volunteering a few hours. Vital Zuman is a public farm, open to visitors, volunteers, shoppers, and even sellers. That’s right — If you live nearby and have an overabundance of avocados and lemons, take your bounty to Vital Zuman to sell the stuff for a dollar a pound — or trade the produce for other goodies at the store.

For those who want their local farmers’ market to become a permanent fixture, Vital Zuman’s 6-days-a-week store comes pretty close to fulfilling that wish. Here, you can buy not only Malibu-grown fruits and veggies, but also raw local honey, jams and pickled veggies made from local produce, raw milk from Organic Pastures, locally-made balsamic lemonade (apparently a good vodka mixer), local handicrafts, and even used books at very cheap prices!

Vital Zuman is certified naturally grown and is farmed using organic, permaculture principles — and gets all its clean water from its own well. The farm isn’t USDA organic certified — since after all, all the produce grown at the farm’s purchased and enjoyed locally by neighbors who are welcome to visit — and work — the farm firsthand.

When I stopped by earlier this week, I got to walk around nibbling on everything from radish blossoms to mustard greens — picked straight off the garden, since I didn’t have to worry about pesticides. Unlike the straight, weedless, artificial-looking crop lines at monoculture farms, Vital Zuman’s land has many different types of produce growing next to each other symbiotically. Some of the edibles weren’t even planted deliberately! “When you’re doing it organically without any pesticides and herbicides, stuff just comes up again,” says farm volunteer Kazimir Klossowski (above, right, with volunteer Reisha Fryzer).

Quite a few volunteers come through the farm, whether for a break from city living, for a chance to get free local produce, or for community service credits, in the case of students. The public farm allows for an “enlightened peasant class,” according to Alan G. Cunningham (above), the sole owner of Vital Zuman since 1995, when he returned to run the farm that’s been in his family for more than 50 years.

“We’ve been in operation here for 30 years before Malibu became a city,” says Alan, who is now working with the City of Malibu to make Vital Zuman a city-owned community farm (PDF). “I’ve never considered that this property belongs to me. That’s a really fundamental understanding in terms of growing food is that it doesn’t belong to you. You’re just cooperating with mother nature.”

Inspired by Alan and the volunteers, and invigorated by the beach breeze, I returned home with a jar of local raw honey and a Salad Bag (above) — a gigantic pre-packed grab bag of freshly-harvested salad-friendly produce that goes for $10. Then I made a salad (below) — complete with lemon-honey dressing!

Want to try some of Vital Zuman’s produce? Stop by the farm’s shop to shop a la carte, or sign up for Vital Zuman’s Farm Box Program, which gets you an overflowing boxful of local produce (below) for $45 a week. You can also find Vital Zuman at the Malibu and Mar Vista farmers markets — or contact the farm directly to volunteer in exchange for fresh farm produce.

Vital Zuman Organic Farm and Fig Tree Ranch. 29127 Pacific Coast Highway. Malibu. 310.457.4356. Tues. – Sun from 10 am to 5 pm.

Earlier: Locavoring in a box: Organic CSAs in Los Angeles.

Bottom photo by Vital Zuman; all other photos by Siel

Now, I’ve found three more.

I’ll update the main CSA options post for easy reference soon. But in the meantime, here are the other three — two of them brand new!

Old Chimney Farm.
Cost: Roughly $30 for about a dozen servings of produce
Pick-up locations: Delivered to your doorstep in Malibu!

If you live in Malibu, this is about as local and convenient as you can get. Get your weekly box of produce direct from a local 8-acre permaculture farm — delivered to your doorstep every Tuesday between 4-6pm. This brand new CSA requires a seasonal commitment ($360 for a 12 week season). Sign up now — Only 7 spaces are left, and deliveries begin June 22!

CSU Farm Fresh Produce Bag Subscription Program .
Cost: $10 to $12 for a bag of produce for 1 – 2 people
Pick-up locations: Thursday Farm Stand at EXPO, 3980 Menlo Ave., Los Angeles

For low income or bargain seekers who live near USC, this CSA program sounds the most affordable, though I haven’t actually seen a $10 bag to see how much Community Services Unlimited — a nonprofit community organization based in South L.A. — deems is enough produce for 1 – 2 people. If the produce isn’t enough, you can opt for the larger $20 bag — still a great deal, considering the fact that the very local produce comes from CSU’s urban mini-farms and local farmers.

Subscribe for a minimum of four weeks. And if you’re a well-heeled locavore, consider paying the “supporter rate” — $12 for a small bag, $24 for a large — to help out your local farmers.

Silver Lake Farms CSA.
Cost: $20 for a box of produce
Pick-up locations: Silver Lake and Beachwood Canyon

Launched late last year, Silver Lake Farms CSA gets all its vegetables very locally, from one Farmer John in Echo Park and Tara, veggie grower at Silver Lake Farms. Become a member by contacting Tara at info@silverlakefarms.com or 323-644-3700. One downside: These CSA boxes are fruitless, at least until L.A. laws are changed to allow for sale of locally-grown fruit. Upside: Tara posts recipes for current CSA box ingredients on her blog!
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Thanks to Heart Beet Gardening for the news about the new CSAs!