Little Locavores

If only you could pick persimmons, kiwi, and apples off a tree in your backyard, puree them up, and give them to your wee gourmet. It’d be organic, fresh, seasonal, and extremely local.

Since most urban dwellers don’t have a year-round supply of seasonal vegetables and fruits growing on our fire escapes or in our postage stamp-sized backyards, Little Bug Organics comes to the rescue. Sourcing produce from the Bay Area’s best organic farms (Frog Hollow peaches and apricots, vegetables from Full Belly, Riverdog, Dirty Girl, Happy Boy, and many farmers’ market staples), they steam, puree, package and sell fruits and veggies within days of being picked.

Started by El Cerrito mom, Melissa Swanson, and her mother, Reva Murphy, in 2006, Little Bug was previously sold at the Temescal and Berkeley farmers’ markets. Now they’ve made the leap to the freezer sections of Whole Foods, Andronico’s, Bi-Rite, and Berkeley Bowl-ultra-convenient. And fans of Planet Organics can order Little Bugs through their website. Little Bugs always focuses on what’s in season, so in winter you can expect butternut squash, pears, and a lovely apple-kiwi combo. In spring, look for asparagus and carrots. Who knows, if you get your baby started early enough, her first words might be, “More vegetables, please.”

Little Bug Baby Food
$5.99 for two 4-ounce tubs
www.littlebugbaby.com