JUST THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW…
I spent yesterday at a roundtable of organic farmers and produce buyers at the Sacramento Coop, listening to everyone talk about the general malaise in the organic industry.  The entrance of very large conventional farms into the organic business (Earthbound, Bunny Love, and others) has put a lot of smaller growers out of business, especially the ones who had not seen the trend coming and developed their direct marketing as we and others have.

 Some of the disturbing news you might be interested to hear:

 Whole Food and Wild Oats have adopted policies of buying conventional produce instead of organic when they feel the price of organic is too high.  Their stores now average about 33% organic produce, down from around 75% a few years back.  Of course, many customers simply assume that everything they buy there is organic.

 The nation’s largest lettuce grower has merged with Earthbound Organics, which grows salad mix, cherry tomatoes, and other crops.  One of the most disturbing things about Earthbound is their PR — they use images of family farms to cover their corporate identity and the source of much of their organic produce:  Mexico.

 Fruit growers at the meeting reported that these large buyers and others have gradually pushed them back to the same ripeness standards used by conventional supermarkets.  They want fruit that is dead green but cosmetically perfect.  One grower, who has prided himself on distinguishing organic peaches as superior tasting to conventional, was distraught at what he feels is his betrayal of organic consumers.

The message that resonated through this meeting was that organic farming has always meant more to most people than not using chemicals — it has meant a more sustainable approach to farming in general.  And the companies that now dominate the market have simply taken the old models of conventional agriculture — large scale, mechanization, cheap labor — and adapted them to organic farming.  Unfortunately, these practices are still unsustainable.  They take people off the land, require enormous amounts of imported, “illegal” labor, and siphon the profits out of rural areas.  Other basic practices — long-distance shipping especially — result in an inferior product for consumers who have gotten used to organic being fresher and tastier.  A few forward thinkers in the organic community will be working on a new standard to help people identify their farms as “Beyond Organic” or something like that.

THEY ADMIT IT!
One grower at this meeting passed around an article from a conventional agriculture publication, titled “Supply Chain Doesn’t Always Put Consumer’s Interests First”.  This article admits something that no one in the produce industry has ever wanted to before — not only is supermarket produce of low quality as a direct result of all the efforts to produce fresh fruits and vegetables more efficiently:
Farmers grow varieties with high yields, not good flavor or color.

They harvest much produce before it is ripe, to beat their competition to market.

Shippers look for shelf life and convenient packages, not flavor.  For example, tomatoes must be harvested green to be packed in the standard 20 lb. Boxes that most shippers demand.

To deliver and store a variety of produce efficiently, trucks and supermarkets keep most produce at the same temperature.  Ideally, you need at least three different coolers to keep everything at the temperature it prefers.

Retailers promote new produce items before they are really at their peak to beat their competition.

Shoppers buy this early, unripe fruit and are unsatisfied, so they don’t give it another chance.  Demand for produce goes down and many people don’t get their daily requirement of produce.

 Since organics started, most farmers have worked to create a different, parallel food system.  One that puts an emphasis on freshness and flavor.  Our CSA subscribers get tasty varieties of fruit and veggies, harvested at their peak, and delivered the next day.  Unfortunately, many organic customers around the country are now buying the same old produce they used to, just with less chemicals on them.

FRESH WINTER PRODUCE
While I can’t say that most of the varieties of winter produce that we grow are different from the ones in the store, many people have expressed to me their amazement at how much better our broccoli and cabbage (for example) taste.

Of course, the freshness is probably most important.  Much of what goes into your boxes is picked just a day before we deliver it.  But the other factor here is the climate.  Leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beets, etc. all seem to taste better when grown in cool, wet weather.  And frost makes things sweet and tender.  Hot weather, on the other hand, makes all this stuff tough and hard to digest, as well as spicy and bitter.

Most winter produce — organic included — is now grown in the Southern California deserts, Arizona, and Mexico.  The crops don’t benefit from the affect of rainfall, and they often experience temperature spikes of up to 90 degrees, especially in February and March when winter often ends before everything down there is harvested.  These same vegetables are grown along the coast in the summer, which usually guarantees a cool, even growing season.  But even in Salinas, heatwaves in the summer can cause quality problems in lettuce or broccoli.

Of course, on a week like this past one (and make the current one, too), it’s not hard to appreciate why large growers would want to plant their winter crops in a place where it never rains and the sun shines every day.

Leeks will be appearing more frequently as winter progresses.  Remember to use only the white part up to the first or second leaf.  Since leeks grow mostly underground, you will need to clean them carefully.  After cutting off the leaves, cut an “X” halfway down into the stem, and carefully rinse out the grit.  Leeks don’t have as much water in them as onions, so cook over low heat and add liquid to keep them from burning.

Thanks,            Pablito

Recipes

Potato-Leek Soup
Just in case you forgot how.
Clean 2 leeks and dice them (Or use 1 leek and 1 onion).  Heat 3 T. butter or olive oil over low heat and add the leeks.  Saute, stirring frequently, until they are soft.
Dice 2 lbs. Of potatoes and add to the leeks.  Raise the temperature and stir for 2 minutes, then add 6 C. water and 1-3 cloves chopped garlic (optional).  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are quite soft.  Transfer the potatoes in batches to a food processor and puree with a little broth until smooth or partially smooth.  Return to the pot.
Add  1 C. milk or soy milk and keep the heat low.  Stir until the soup returns to a simmer, then taste and season with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.
Note:  You can add chopped kale to this recipe after the potatoes are pureed, and simmer an extra 5 minutes.

Lamb Stew with Cabbage — I figure all the vegetarians know how to use 1 head of cabbage...from “Leafy Greens” by Mark Bittman.
Trim and cut 1 1/2 lbs. Boneless lamb into pieces.  Brown on all sides in 1 T. olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 sliced onion, 3 chopped cloves of garlic, and 2 carrots, cut into chunks.  Cook until the onion is soft.
Add 1 cored, shredded cabbage and continue to cook until it begins to wilt.  Sprinkle with 2 T. flour, salt, and pepper, then stir and add 1 C. red wine.  Let is bubble for 2 minutes, then add 2 C. water.  Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the lamb is tender — 1-2 hours depending on the cut.
Remove the cover, boil away and excess liquid, and serve.
 

Produce 101: SATSUMA MANDARINS keep getting sweeter.  They are not certified organic.   They were grown without any pesticides or fertilizers and come from our neighbors the Bruins. WALNUTS should be stored in the freezer to preserve their flavor and texture.  Toast them and toss with salads.

Prepay by 5th of month  please, for the month, or get the quarterly rate for prepaying for any three month period.
Up/downgrades are $5 per week per increment ~ ie up one size +5, up from small to large +10.

Vacations & Billing Inquiries
We need seven days notice before a vacation hold or other change of service.
Contact Valerie through e-mail Goldenbell@aol.com, or  voicemail at (530) 756-2800.
To donate your box to Foodrunners, please call 415-929-1866 or go to  www.foodrunners.org

MAILING ADDRESS:
Terra Firma Farm
P.O. Box 836
Winters, CA 95694
(530) 756-2800
www.terrafirmafarm.com
Goldenbell@aol.com
 

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