So why is it that intelligent, well-educated people seem so resistant to learning this lesson.  Despite the “advances” of science in the past fifty years, it seems rare to find any intelligent humility in most human endevours.  The Army Corps of Engineers straightened out numerous rivers and streams through the 20th century, only to find that their work caused as many problems as it solved.  They are now born-again ecologists, attempting to undo what they did before — at such great expense.

Environmentalists should know this lesson by now, right?  Well, maybe not.  Many San Franciscans are still proud of their efforts to prevent the “Manhattanization” of their fair city.  But most people recognize the result:  the dramatic expansion of suburban sprawl across the Bay, up the Delta, and now out into the farmland of the Central V alley.  Humanity is a force like water — you can only redirect it, not stop it.  People need places to live, and they tend to flow towards places that are more affordable.  Add the power of billions of dollars in profits to be reaped from housing developments, and you have a very dangerous force.

Speaking of water.  The same law of unintended consequences is now beginning to wreck havoc on a perfectly honorable, well-intended effort to address California’s profound water dilemma.  A combination of laws and lawsuits is bringing an end to developers’ ability to build homes without first ensuring a water supply for them.  But if some had imagined this would slow down development… Instead, developers have begun the process of turning water into an extremely  valuable — and expensive — commodity.  While several environmental groups have been pushing for this goal for a long time, it is something I believe needs careful consideration.  Do we really want a state where only well-to-do people have access to clean, fresh water?  Because that is what will happen.  Already, struggling water districts in the Central Valley are selling their water rights to developers, fallowing thousands of acres of land and leaving rural populations without a water supply.

Millions of acres of farmland in the Central Valley is already owned by developers or corporations whose eventual goal is development.  By buying this land, they have bought the water rights to it.  If growth approaches a particular parcel, they will pave it over and use the water rights in situ.  But much of this farmland is located far from the path of suburbanization.  If and when water becomes a commodity, they can simply sell the water to the highest bidder and ship it across the state through canals, pipelines, and pumps to the developer that offers the most for it — the delivery system is already in place.  
 Small farmers might like to moan about their corporate neighbors.  But we know that if a few key megafarms in our county closed up shop, the agricultural base would disappear — amenable county governments, tractor parts dealers, irrigation supply companies, etc.  When corporate farms can make more money selling water than growing crops, the Valley will dry up.   And with most commodity prices in the toilet, it’s not hard to imagine this vision coming to fruition.

I’m all in favor of holding developers more accountable to the rules of sustainability.  I’m just saying that California should proceed very, very carefully with these efforts.  We have a history of political “fixes” that have created far more problems than they solved (Proposition 13, anyone?).  Our ability as a species to envision the consequences of our actions still leaves an awful lot to be desired.
 
New Stuff:
The tomato of the week is: 
Big, mild, meaty Marvel Stripe may be mostly red with a hint of gold, vice versa, or a beautiful sunburst that fades evenly from one to the other.  You may just get one in your bag, since they can get as large as 2 pounds each.  The Marvel’s fruity sweetness will balance perfectly with the sharp bite of our first tentative greens of the fall — baby Arugula that is both tender and spicy.  Spinach will follow shortly, but the first salad mix won’t arrive until October, when we hope the weather will have cooled enough to allow the lettuce to grow without quickly turning bitter.  

 The first Apples of “fall” are Galas, one of the newer varieties around.  We are pleased to announce that we have established a good arrangement with nearby Coco Ranch to provide us with apples through the fall and into winter.  Growing apples organically requires fined tuned management to control insects, so we are happy to let someone else do it for us.  Farmer Greg House has planted an orchard that fits quite well with our CSA — apple varieties that start harvest about now and continue until mid-November.  You can look forward to regular (every week or two) apples, including Sommerfeld, Mutzu, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Pink Lady as well as the Galas.  And because of the amount of apples we use, and the savings he achieves by not having to ship them, Greg is giving us quite a good deal on these gourmet apple varieties.  So enjoy.  

The “fall” watermelon is enjoying some of the best melon ripening weather we’ve had this year— hot days and warm nights with several hours less sun than July & August (direct sunlight tends to ripen the fruit before the sugars can concentrate).  And looking at the Bay Area weather, many of our subscribers are just now getting some of the weather that makes you really want to slurp down a juicy slice.  We should have watermelon, canary melon, and/or cantelope at least until October 1st.

Thanks,            Pablito