A Spanish proverb says, “The belly rules the mind.” We agree! Here are three edible escapes fueled with fresh air and tasty bites.  

Forget the trip to the farmers markets. The best way to get fresh fruits and vegetables is to go straight to the source. And at Brentwood's 150-acre Smith Family Farm the u-pick season is always on. Summer is filled with cherries, boysenberries, plums and peaches; fall brings walnuts, pomegranates, persimmons, pumpkins and apples. Grab a pail, stroll through fruit and vegetable crops, and pick to your taste buds' pleasure. Stay awhile. At the end of the property there's a large picnic ground with a table and hay bales for seats. Tall trees offer shade on hot days and Mount Diablo is in clear view. U-pick when to go: The farm's open year round.

TIP: Smith Family Farm is a member of Harvest Time, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving agri-tourism in the Brentwood region. Pick up their map to over 40 growers in the region.

Smith Family Farm, 4430 Sellers Ave., Brentwood; 925-625-5966. Directions are available on their Web site.

If food is nature's aphrodisiac then Full House Farm is a smorgasbord for getting downright fresh. Located in the hills of Sebastopol the farm has a cozy cottage with a full kitchen and an at-your-fingertips veggie garden. Toss in 23 acres of mostly wild land with private trails cutting through forest, oak groves and meadows, and you've got a tasty mix of creature comforts and rugged respite. Get to the cottage in time to enjoy the sunset while relaxing on the Adirondack chairs. Keep an eye out for bobcats, deer, foxes, and soaring red tail hawks. Then it's time to decide what's for dinner. Just steps from the cottage is an organic garden to harvest. Crops include broccoli, garlic, zucchini, strawberries, spinach, peas, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beets, basil, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, several types of grapes, three different kinds of rhubarb and—phew!— plenty more. Cook up your feast in the cottage kitchen and wind it all down with a night soak in a private two-person hot tub beneath giant oaks. In the morning head to the chicken pen and grab some freshly laid eggs for a breakfast scramble. Gardenful!

BONUS: Full House Farm is 15 miles from Bodega Bay and just minutes to dozens of Sonoma wineries.

Full House Farm, 1000 Sexton Rd., Sebastopol; 707-829-1561. Rates start at $100 per night. The cottage sleeps up to two people. Full House Farm also has a three-bedroom house that sleeps up to 10 people. The farm's food options are seasonal and supplemental, so call ahead to ask what's available to complement food you might bring.

Marin's Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is a crossroads figuratively and literally. Part working farm, part overnight escape, and part meditative retreat, this Bay Area institution lies smack in the middle of some excellent hiking trails, including a 4-mile loop that passes through the farm. Start at Muir Beach and stroll on a wide dirt trail that leads to the heart of Green Gulch. Within minutes you'll be walking through fields of leafy green organic produce. As the trail cuts through the center, check out the gardens: perennials, natives, culinary and medicinal herbs, shrubs, bamboo and fruit plants all grow here (and some are available for purchase). Follow the trail up to a ridge, passing one of Marin's best overnight retreats, Hope Cottage (a simple one-bedroom bungalow reminiscent of "Lord of the Rings"). From the top of the ridge, San Francisco's skyline peeks over the headlands and the Pacific sprawls to the west. The trail descends to Muir Beach, with dramatic cliff overlooks along the way. Zensational!


Park at the Muir Beach lot. Cross the bridge, and turn left. After a couple hundred feet there's an unmarked junction, go right. Follow the signs to Green Gulch on the Green Gulch Trail. Once you get to the farm you'll go through a large gate at the end of a fenced section. Continue straight through the farm on the wide dirt road; don't go right up to Coyote Ridge on the Middle Green Gulch Trail. Pass through the zen center (going by the office) and down a paved road lined by eucalyptus trees. After a few hundred feet, look for the Green Gulch Trail sign on the right (it's easy to miss). Follow it all the way up to Coyote Ridge Trail and turn right. At the T junction, turn right and take the Coastal Trail down to Muir Beach.

That late-summer escape you've been dreaming of? It just became seductively affordable. Virgin America—the airline just awarded Best Domestic Airline by Travel + Leisure—is up to their usual shenanigans. Yep, they just keep offering the best airline experiences at ridiculously low prices. But like any good deals, these go fast, so you've gotta be on the ball. And the best way to stay on top of Virgin's best prices is to sign up for their free Elevate program. It's Virgin's answer to a frequent-flyer program, where you can earn free travel faster and smarter than with other programs. Sign up, feel the love.

These deals are coming in hot. Get 'em while you can.

SFO to L.A.: $49* one-way
SFO to San Diego: $49* one-way
SFO to Orange County: $49* one-way
SFO to Las Vegas: $49* one-way
SFO to Seattle: $49* one-way
SFO to Boston: $119* one-way
SFO to New York (JFK): $119* one-way
SFO to Washington D.C.: $119* one-way

Travel must occur by Nov. 18 with a three-day advance purchase. Black out dates? They don't apply. This is how to fly.