First, the books. This week, the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library holds its semi-annual book sale at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion. More than 500,000 used books, CDs, books on tape, etc., will be available at amazing prices from Wednesday September 19 to Sunday September 23, 10 am to 6 pm. I went to the spring version of this event and was ecstatic to corral and take home a trove of goodies. You’ll doubtless find many books on food, recipes, growing vegetables, and more. So foodies and sustainable food and agriculture lovers will (going out on a limb here) have plenty to satisfy their curiosity.

Second, the food. Greens is a restaurant at Fort Mason that has been offering delicious vegetarian meals and takeaway baked goods since 1979. Greens is affiliated with the Zen centers at Green Gulch and Tassajara and has always focused on organic, local, and sustainable. And of course, vegetarian means low on the food chain, which is good for person and planet. Here are a few items from Green’s menu this week:

•  Star Route Wilted Spinach Salad with DeVoto Jonathan apples, golden and chioggia beets, Point Reyes Original Blue, shallots, cider vinegar and hot olive oil
•  Ricotta Corn Cakes with asiago, scallions and basil. Served with romesco, crème fraiche and herb salad
•  Fire Roasted Poblano Chili with quinoa, white corn, grilled onions, cilantro, goat cheese, pumpkin seed cilantro salsa and crème fraiche. Served with salsa roja, Rancho Gordo beans, grilled zephyr squash with chipotle lime butter
• Eggplant and Summer Squash Lasagne with leeks, pesto, Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel, ricotta herb custard and San Marzano tomato sauce. Served with summer beans with shallots and pepper flakes

The menus at Greens are good reading themselves!  So before or after your visit to the Fort Mason book sale, you can recharge your batteries nearby with wonderful works of food artistry at Greens.