Finding the Truth About Food

Farm Update

These red lettuces are looking really nice now that the weather
is getting a little cooler, and since we've been irrigating
a lot lately.

Hi everyone!  We are squarely into the second half of the season, and we’ve noted the subtle shift in weather that generally accompanies this time of year.  In fact, we had the first frost last night, which is unusual.  Normally we don’t see any frost until mid-September, and we were really surprised to get hit with it so soon.  We assessed the frost damage this morning, and because it was a fairly light frost, most crops made it through just fine.  We did see some damage on some of the green beans, and it seems to have hit the winter squash fairly hard as well.  A few more days will tell if the squash are going to swing back, or if they’ll be consigned to oblivion.  Fortunately, we don’t have another chance of frost for at least a week.   Another change around the farm is that our crew is two people smaller than before!  Mary and Therese have gone back to college, and Emily is soon to follow in a few weeks.  Fortunately, the rest of our crew (Carson, Logan, Ben, and Jewel) will be able to work at least part time for the rest of the season, so we are going to be in great shape going into the fall!  Because once the weather gets cold and wet, it seems like just about everything takes longer than it used to, so we’ll really need all the hands we can get.  We are so glad to have such a great team this year!  In other news, we had our annual organic inspection today, which is the culmination of tons of careful record-keeping and saving everything.  Fred has been going through our files for the last few days, both physical and digital, compiling all of the information he’d need to show our inspector this morning to verify that all of our seeds and plants are from organic sources, that we haven’t applied anything synthetic to our fields, that none of the posts from our new deer fence were made of treated lumber (to protect against chemicals leaching into the soil), etc.  It was a huge job, but it’s done now, and we can breathe a sigh of relief.  And now we’re launching into week 12 of the CSA!  Just a reminder that this Monday is Labor Day, so if you’re unable to make it to the drop-off, let me know, and we can make arrangements for your share.  See you soon! J

What to Expect in your Share this Week

If you are picking up at one of our regular drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and Midland) this week, here are the options you’ll find at each station!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item at each station, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Fennel or 4 tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion, shallot, or 2 jalepenos
Kale or herbs
Lettuce, beets, or cabbage

And if you’re having your share delivered or picking up in Lansing, Okemos, or the Midand hospital, here are your options.  If you have a half share, choose either share A or share B, and if you have a full share, you get to choose two.

Share A:                               Share B:

4 Tomatoes                           4 Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes                   Cherry tomatoes
Carrots                                  Carrots
Potatoes                                Potatoes
Onion                                    2 Jalepenos
Herbs                                    Kale
Lettuce                                  Beets

Finding the Truth About Food

So as a farmer, former teacher, and accidental foodie, I have read a lot of literature about food.  And it turns out that food isn’t just food; there are so many aspects of a topic so fundamental to human life and culture.  There’s nutrition, which deals with the chemical breakdown of what we eat, and how it interacts in our bodies.  There’s cooking, whereby we take ingredients and turn them into meals (wonderful or otherwise).  There’s food culture, about how people groups interact with and build systems, and norms, and traditions around their food.  There’s food activism, where food and the production and procurement thereof becomes a jumping off point for positive social change.  There’s the relationship between food production and the environment in which it is grown, raised, produced, or created alchemically in a lab, as the case may be.  And since there are so many topics surrounding the concept of what we eat, and when, and why, there are plenty of well-intentioned and respectable authors who completely disagree with one another.  So how do we cut through the noise and get at the truth?  Quite simply, I don’t think we do.  It’s probably possible, but I am definitely not qualified to be the sage advisor when it comes to processing all of the entirety of human food knowledge.

But here is what I do know, or at least think I do:

·        Food should be savored and appreciated.  I think traditionally in the US, we’ve had a tendency to vilify food, because we were never quite sure whether what we were eating was “good” or “bad” for us.  It’s hard to be 100% certain when even the experts change their minds every decade or so.  I think some people are so paralyzed by food choices that they would opt out of eating altogether if they could.  Which is kind of sad, really.  Because enjoying food should be a pleasurable experience, without stressing about whether you’re getting the right mix of nutrients, or worrying that something you’re eating might be found to be deleterious to your health in a few decades.  The best way to stay sane is to be mindful about appreciating your food, rather than being anxious about it.

·        Natural whole foods are better than foods created in labs.  While food scientists have tried for decades to break foods down into their constituent parts and rebuild them better, they haven’t managed to get it right, because there is still so much we don’t know.  But what we do know is that traditional foods have been nourishing people for millennia.  A good rule of thumb is to stick with foods that can be seen growing, walking, or swimming in nature.

·        Food that is grown or raised closer to where it is consumed is better than food grown far away.  There are plenty of economic arguments for shipping in food from regions where it is more efficient to manufacture to places where it isn’t; in fact, I’m pretty sure Adam Smith would heartily disagree with me on this.  But I’m basing my decision to favor local food over distantly-produced food on a different set of criteria than the father of modern economics.  For me, eating local is a means to reduce the negative impact on our environment, as well as a way to support my local community and economy.  I love that I can use my food dollars to support people I know who grow and raise quality food, and that when I do, my money has a better chance of continuing to circulate around the local community to the benefit of my friends and neighbors.  I also know that the more industrially-produced or far-flung food I consume, the more resources are consumed in order to bring that food to me.  If I eat locally-produced food, I reduce the potential negative environmental impact of my food choices.  That said, there is no way I am ever giving up coffee.  (See the above section on enjoying food without stressing about it. J)

So I guess that’s my food manifesto, if you want to call it that.  I know that it is pretty simple, and perhaps overly simplistic (for instance, I ignored the whole debate about what constitutes a whole food).  But just in case you’ve been struggling to work your way through all the conflicting opinions, I hope this additional opinion is more beneficial than detrimental in your search for what works for you. 

Recipes

One thing I love about the CSA drop-offs is getting to talk to people and find out how they prepare different veggies!  I was talking to a lady at our Midland drop-off this week who was telling me what she does with kale, and I realized that I am in a kale rut, always preparing it the same way (sauteed in olive oil with a little garlic and onion, and sometimes some shiitake mushrooms).  So if you're like me and you have been making kale the same way every week, here are some ideas to shake it up!  Check out these 16 Quick and Easy Kale Recipes from Good Housekeeping!