DIALOGUE
Cooking Up Conversations
on Sustainability
An Interview with Myra Goodman, Co-Founder of Earthbound Farm
and Author of The Earthbound Cook: 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a
Healthy Planet
As the central gathering point in most homes, the kitchen has long been the starting point of great conversations. With her cookbooks— Foodto Live By, and the newly released The Earthbound Cook—Myra Goodman, the co-founder of Earthbound Farm, is inspiring conversa-
tions in kitchens across the country, leading
conscious home chefs to not only go organic,
but also to shut off the water faucet, support
sustainable fishing, use recycled products,
save energy and start composting.
Along with her husband, Drew, Goodman founded Earthbound Farm on a 2½-acre backyard garden in 1984, and in 1986,
Earthbound Farm launched the trend of ready-to-eat packaged
salads and baby greens. Today, Earthbound Farm is the largest
grower of organic produce in North America—working with 150
small to medium-size organic farmers with a total of almost
37,000 acres under organic cultivation. In addition, Goodman
developed the Earthbound Farm Stand and Organic Kitchen in
Carmel Valley, CA—one of the first certified organic kitchens in
the country. This year, Earthbound is set to expand beyond fresh
produce to offer many other packaged products ranging from
salad dressings to salad toppers and beyond.
While many may know Goodman indirectly via her salad
mixes—her two cookbooks, combined with visits to a long list of
independent bookstores, farmers markets and news stations
throughout the country, have given her a chance to develop intimate relationships
with consumers that go beyond the Earthbound Farm brand. As she was wrapping up her most re-
cent book tour, Goodman took some time to chat with Organic Processing Magazine about her cook-
book, her company—and the conversations that happen between making dinner and trying to make
a difference in the world.
