More local produce, looking great! We have local strawberries from Chamutka Farm in Whately, and local salad mix from Old Friends Farm in Amherst!

We are really excited about the local, organic strawberries. At a recent meeting I attended, I brought over one package each of the local and California strawberries.

Here are few noted differences:

Price: The local strawberries are more expensive. This is a complicated issue and I don’t really know all the real reasons why we need to pay more for the local. I think it is a mix of contributing factors. The strawberries from California are grown on a much larger scale with a greater level of automation (less labor), and are being transported using cheap fossil fuel.

Maybe the biggest factor is supply. There is a limited amount of local organic strawberries grown in New England. In New England, it is very risky and challenging to grow strawberries following organic certified practices. Strawberries are very susceptible to all sorts of problems from insects and moisture. If you’ve been to a farmer’s market recently, you’ll notice that most farmers have no problem selling their strawberries whether they are organic or not. Many farmers understandably have little incentive to risk jeopardizing their strawberries with the limited certified organic options available for protecting them.

Texture: There is a noticeable difference in texture. The variety from California is “meatier” than the local I don’t think there is anything wrong with the texture of the California strawberry, it is just different. They are clearly grown to be transported and withstand the vibrations and shaking that accompany a cross-country trip.

Flavor: The California strawberries this week are very sweet, sweet like sugar. The local variety we are handing out have a different, more complex taste; maybe not as sweet, but are very flavorful with a slight tartness. One can argue that the local strawberries taste more like strawberries. In the group I was with, most preferred the flavor of the local ones.

Given the level of interest of the local, organic strawberries, I am confident, we will have more available next year. I plan to actively engage our network of growers and see if I can “secure” some strawberries ahead of time.

We just learned that Rick Pedersen of Pedersen Farm lost his entire crop of broccoli for the season. This is the same farm that provided that awesome asparagus the past 5-6 weeks. There were two main contributing factors. Early in the season there were heavy rains that damaged many of the seedlings. This was followed by exceptionally hot and dry weather which attracted a blight of flea beetles; unfortunately there are few effective organic controls. Had he been farming conventionally, Rick would have had more options to save the crop. One can imagine the non organic options, although effective are probably more toxic.

This is a pretty bad blow to Pedersen Farm. We had planned to hand out his broccoli as long as it was available. We are certain he had other customers lined up too.

Our commitment to certified organic standards and agriculture. This is one reason why we are so committed to supporting organic growers. As this illustrates, organic growers are really exposed to greater risk than conventional/non-certified growers. We feel it is very important to support them whenever it is possible and reward them for their commitment to sustainable growing practices

We plan to hand out Pedersen’s edamame beans this season. There has been a little bit of a glitch as the beans look like they will be available later than anticipated. We have made arrangements with other growers for vegetables for that time period. We will figure out a way to get those beans in the boxes!

Here are a few photos from last Sunday’s planting event!

On Sunday, June 14th, if you would like to meet some of the Boston Organics crew, as well as some fellow customers, we’re working with EarthWorks Boston to plant several fruit shrubs and fruit trees! EarthWorks has been building an orchard and edible landscape on the grounds of the Cooper Community Center, located on Roxbury’s Fort Hill; if you would like to help out, please RSVP here!

This Saturday, June 13th, we’ll have a table set up the Charlestown Open Market and we’ll also have a display at Fair Trade Boston!

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