Starting this week we’re offering Berry Cherry Acai and Strawberry Pomegranate Teather snacks from Brookline-based NEFS Products. This is some of the best “fruit leather” we’ve tasted, and it’s great for lunch on the go! You can order them in the Snacks and Specialties section of our add-on order form. Check them out!
Availability is still a bit up in the air for next week, but we wanted to post a few pictures of the unique items we have this week anyhow! We’re offering tomatillos grown by Chamutka Farm in Hadley, MA; edamame beans grown by Pedersen Farms in Seneca Castle, NY; jalapeno peppers grown by Full Bloom Farm in Whately, MA; and Rosa Bianca eggplant from Atlas Farm in South Deerfield, MA. Check them out!
The first local heirloom tomatoes and Maine wild blueberries of the season are here! The heirloom tomatoes are from Atlas Farm in South Deerfield, MA; and the wild blueberries are from Burke Hill Farm in Cherryfield, ME.
Over the weekend Jeff stopped in at Atlas Farm in South Deerfield, MA. Check it out!
Owner @ Atlas Farm
South Deerfield, MA
http://atlasfarm.com/
FAVORITE FRUIT OR VEGGIE?
Lettuce for growing, Cherries for eating
WHY FARMING?
My first farm job was in 1996. I was always very interested in the environment and once I started farming I felt it was the most intimate connection between people and the world around them. I also like driving tractors and getting dirty!
CHALLENGES THIS SEASON?
So far, rain seems like a persistent challenge this season.
Owners @ Pedersen Farms, Inc.
Seneca Castle, NY
http://pedersenfarms.com/
FAVORITE FRUIT OR VEGGIE?
Tomatoes
THE STORY:
We began our own farm in 1983, celebrating our 25th year last year. Laura grew up on a vegetable farm and Rick’s family had a hobby farm. He was always interested in growing things, so after Cornell, Rick worked on Laura’s family farm until the time was right for us to start on our own.
CHALLENGES THIS SEASON?
This year feels like the recession year for agriculture, kind of like 2008 was for the rest of the country. Prices for most of our products are flat or decreased from last year, yet our costs have stayed the same or gone up for most inputs with fuel being the only major exception.
Labor, year in and year out, is our biggest concern. We have a great crew now, but immigration reform is needed to be sure we can get and keep the workers we need.
We’re psyched! We have lettuce, kale, and chard from Atlas Farm in South Deerfield, MA; spinach from Enterprise Farm in Whately, MA; and asparagus from Pedersen Farms in Seneca Castle, NY! Woohoo!
After seeing the Boston Globe article, Mike Graney, a local beekeeper with beehives in Mattapan and Jamaica Plain contacted us. Mike has been beekeeping as a hobby and passion for over ten years. Though his honey is not certified organic, we’re now offering it as an add-on item. You can order it in the Snacks and Specialties section here.
In addition to supporting a local business, and urban food production, many claim local honey helps to boost the immune system against allergies and asthma.
Bees also play a critical role in the food chain. According to the US Department of Agriculture, bees pollinate 80% of our flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat. For some unknown reason, the bee colonies are vanishing at an alarming rate. Their loss could effect not only dietary staples such as apples, broccoli, strawberries, nuts, asparagus, blueberries and cucumbers, but may threaten our beef and dairy industries if alfalfa is not available for feed.
Not Certified Organic
Of all food items that can be produced and grown locally, honey is one of the most challenging if not impossible to certify organic. Probably the greatest challenge for local honey producers to get certified is that the bees need access to a large geographic area of uncontaminated land to forage.
“Organic honey must be produced by naturally foraging colonies that are located at least 2 miles distant, in straight-line flight, from any pollution source which could cause the honey to become contaminated by, or as a result of, returning foraging bees (e.g. synthetic-chemical sprayed agriculture, industrial centers, urban centers, etc.).” (http://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/organic_standards.htm).
Even though Mike’s honey is not certified organic, we feel it is important to support him given the unique challenges to beekeeping and the perilous times bee populations are facing.
You can learn more about Mike’s local honey on his website.
We thought this was super cool, so we’re posting it here!
Proceeds from these plates will go to the Massachusetts Agricultural Trust Fund, and you can target specific organizations to donate to (NOFA, Red Tomato, etc.).
Learn more at the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources or download the application form (which has some great farm facts on it).
I am new to blogging and have been having a hard time figuring where to begin. So here I go.
One question we get often is the following…
Why can’t we get all those cool vegetables we see at the farmer’s markets or even local root crops through out the winter?
We’re just as frustrated as you that we don’t have access to an abundant variety of local organic vegetables as well as winter friendly roots like beets, potatoes, parsnips, etc year round. We know you want them, we want to get them for you, and we feel we should be able to get them for you. The problem is that there is only a very limited supply available right now. As small of a company we are, our demand for local organic produce exceeds what our network of growers can provide us.
The current poor state of the local food chain is a result of the modern food economy we have created. Cheap food produced on large-scale farms from far away that can be transported inexpensively destroyed a once flourishing local food economy. The physical logistics connecting growers to their markets have to be rebuilt and reinvented. Knowledge of and infrastructure for root storage has to be re-learned and re-built. Markets for local carrots coming out of storage competing against fresher/nicer looking/cheaper carrots need to be created.
Both eating organically and locally resonate with me on a very basic, emotional level that I call “truths.” It only makes sense that you only want to eat clean food made without the use of synthetic chemicals. For the simple sake of peace of mind, it only makes sense that you want to have access to food grown nearby and not rely on food grown on the other side of the continent. There are so many more reasons why it is important that we support organic and local food production (the local economy, the environment, etc.).
These are some of the motivations why I started Boston Organics, and why I am so excited that I believe we have arrived at a time where we are on the cusp of seeing some significant, positive change about to happen.
Our growers are beginning to see the demand and we are taking steps to increase the supply. We are all very excited about the possibilities and will try our best to get there as quickly as possible. However there are still many challenges and it will take some time.
Steps Boston Organics is taking to get local organic vegetables available to you year round:
1. Pre-Orders to the Growers
First of all, we are only able to do this because of your support. Because you are supporting our model of the “mystery box” and trust us to choose what goes in your box, we are able to offer growers a level of unprecedented commitment that allows them to increase their production significantly.
Because you are willing to sacrifice some control as to what goes in your order, we are able to commit in the winter for the next season’s product. THIS IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL and has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding parts of the business.
2. Build a root cellar?
We are in the early, early, early, dream stage of talking with a few growers about building a root cellar. Building a cellar and growing the vegetables to stock it are only parts of the solution. The growers need to learn about the best practices to ensure that the potatoes and other roots will last into the late spring. Other questions include, will refrigeration/electricity be needed to store the crops? If so how will that impact the economics?
It is an exciting time to be involved in the food business. There is some great momentum happening to make some real positive change to create a sustainable food system. Through your support, I believe Boston Organics can be part of the solution.
Thanks for your support and business.
-Jeff Barry (owner/founder of Boston Organics)
