Organic Farm Produce Stands in California

Forget going to the supermarket on your next road trip in California - get your heart's desire of delicious, fresh, mouth-watering organic produce by stopping at any one of the dozens of organic produce farm stores or farm stands which sell a variety of fresh, locally grown, organic produce. 

Organic produce roams free range at organic produce farm stands along the California coast. There may be more organic produce stands than supermarkets in California! You'llYou'll find them everywhere when you are traveling the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, or other routes along coastal California. 

Stop at one or more of the local stands to find a variety of super fresh produce at a reasonable price. Buying your organic produce locally gives you incredibly fresh produce, which hasn't been shipped across the country. Buying from farmers directly supports local business and local farmers, which is good for them and good for you!

Produce stands come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and

​I hear two sides to driving in the desert. First, there's the crowd who says, "There's nothing for miles", and I also hear people say, "It's a beautiful landscape."

It's picturesque on the surface, but below the surface you'll find a vast, amazing and brilliant world to explore.

Deserts are filled with millions of organisms of greens and tans, just staring down at you from their dry, hightop perches above the desert landscape. It's like they are all little versions of Yertle the Turtle from the Dr. Seuss storybook, looking down upon the cars as if to say,"I rule all that I see!". 

Moving traffic is the entertainment of the hills and plants surrounding the highway on I-15 in southern Arizona, waiting for the observers in their vehicles to notice the patches of grasses, sagebrush and Joshua trees standing on the landscape. Each patch of greenery is a thriving community of microorganisms, small reptiles and plants. Millions upon millions of these little "islands of the desert" surround the road - contrasting the natural world to the strip of modern world, winding its way through the vast expanse of the desert.

Hiking through the desert is a fun, exciting and exhilarating outdoor experience you will want to have at least once in your life. Sage-scented air swirls around rock formations, and if you know where to look, certain spots have rock art from indigenous tribes dating back hundreds to thousands of years. Art from pre-historic tribes who marked their territory, where they buried their dead, or drawing pictures of the day-to-day activities such as hunting.

The desert offers much to those who stop to look. Take your time, close your eyes, and experience what this fragile location has to offer. Then open your eyes and see the beauty which falls across the landscape.

 Insist on Your Choice of Restaurant

Do you really need to be selfish when it comes to eating out? YES, mainly if you have limited choices because of your dietary restrictions. Feeling bad because you think others are loosing out? Drop that feeling of guilt because that other person wouldn't feel the same about the situation if they were in your shoes. 

People who aren't GF don't understand what we go through, they think it's silly or our digestive discomfort isn't that bad, and we should just put up with it. Seriously? When is the last time anyone enjoyed having pain and stomach cramps for three days because they ate a doughnut? Maybe some twisted masochist, but for the rest of the living comfortably crowd, we would instead feel good and eat good food, just like everyone else.

Take that gluten-free app, your restaurant guide, or your friend's advice and insist you eat at the restaurant which you CAN eat. The person that says "Well, hey, they have salads!", tell them the last time you checked you were not a manatee. 

Be your gluten-free selfie-and own your GF status! Be bold, fearless and insist on your choice of eating establishment because, after all, your tastebuds need to be satisfied just like everyone else!

#2 Find a Gluten-Free Restaurant

Finding a GF restaurant may not sound hard, until you try to look for one, especially in a rural area. Cities have more food choices, and you can easily find a gluten-free option in a town, but what about less populated areas?

One of my favorite tools to find gf restaurants is Find Me Gluten Free App. Jason Elmore, creator of this app, is celiac. He decided to make the app after being frustrated about the difficulty of finding food that is safe to eat when you are eating out.

To find out more about Jason and how he created the Find Me Gluten Free App,

I really enjoy a great road trip. This means an extended weekend or a planned multi-day trip which involves stopping and eating at places I've never heard of. That can be as easy as brushing a furry knot out of my long-haired cat when I'm not sure what's available in the next town, especially when I'm in the middle of nowhere. I've found a few ways to lessen the hardship of gluten-free on the road.

#1 Carry food with you at all times. Yes, and bring a superhero along with you as well (is Captain America available?). This can be easy if you find out what you like and keep it on hand. My suggestion: gluten-free protein bars and cookies. I really like protein drinks (single-serve powder is most accessible, although it can be costly). I take the protein from my bulk container and double bag the protein. This keeps costs down but gives me a few meals to hold me over until I find a safe restaurant to eat at.

Always bring yummy snack foods with you for the ride. Gas Stations do not have many gluten-free offerings, except for Oregon and California. These are the only two states which I have found more than 2 or 3 safe snacks to eat.

My favorite gluten-free snacks are KaPop Snacks, Deliciousness Foods, and Jai Mix. I've interviewed each of these owners on my podcast, and I would feel safe eating these snacks, even on vacation! They are reliable and do not use any gluten in their products or their process.

Remember to not carry chocolate with you on your road trip, chocolate melts, and makes a mess. Be cautious of coconut oil, as this will quickly melt in your car!

Check back for your next gluten-free on the road trip next blog!​