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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Farmers’ Market Tips
  • Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:40:31 -0600


Farmers’ Market Tips
>From Jeff Cox
http://organictobe.org/index.php/2008/04/04/farmers-market-tips/#comment-3367

The first farmers’ markets are opening up in the warmer parts of the country,
and soon they’ll be opening everywhere. You can find the markets nearest you
by visiting www.localharvest.org.

But when you do go to a farmers’ market, some questions arise.

The seller may say he or she is organic, but how do you know for sure? Many
small farmers and truck patch operators may very well be organic but don’t
want to go through the paperwork and expense of getting organic
certification. Some unscrupulous sellers may tell customers what the
customers want to hear and claim their produce is organic when it isn’t.

First, ask the seller is he’s certified organic. Here in California, the
certifying agency is CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) and the
seller may have a CCOF sign displayed. That’s your guarantee that the food is
raised organically. There are certifying agencies across America. If there’s
no certification but the seller claims his produce is organic, here are some
questions you can ask to make sure the food is organic.

Ask how he controls cabbage worms. Any organic grower will know right away
that Bacillus thuringiensis, called Bt, is the sure-fire organic control for
those little green worms that chew on the leaves of cole crops (cabbage,
broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi, bok choy, and many other
vegetables). If he says that he doesn’t have a problem with cabbage worms, be
skeptical. White cabbage moths, the adult form of the green caterpillars, are
ubiquitous.

Ask how he controls corn earworms. Most organic growers will tell you that
the worms don’t eat much, and to just break off the tip of the ear where the
worm has set up shop. There are some organic controls like twist-tying the
tip and putting a drop or two of mineral oil on the tip, but they are
impractical for anyone growing a farm-sized amount of corn. A few earworms,
by the way, are a good guarantee that the corn is indeed organic, and the
farmer may tell you that.

Ask his soil pH. Any organic farmer will know his soil pH. In a good organic
soil, it will be between 6.0 and 7.0, ideally about 6.5, or slightly acid. At
6.5, most soil nutrients are most available to most crops. If the soil is
more acidic or alkaline—that is, out of the 6.0 to 7.0 range—certain
nutrients become locked up and unavailable to crops. So a real organic farmer
knows his pH and strives to keep it as close to 6.5 as possible. Conventional
farmers are more concerned with the amount of chemical nitrogen, phosphorus,
and potassium they’re putting down than with soil pH.

Keep in mind that there are two kinds of sellers at farmers’ markets—actual
farmers who grew their fruits or produce, and purveyors who buy wholesale and
sell retail from stands at the farmers’ markets. It’s easy to tell which is
which by asking this question:

Which variety is this? A farmer will always know the variety names of all his
fruits and vegetables, or his breed of hen if he’s selling eggs. After all,
he had to buy the seed, the woody plants, or the chicks, and he’s carefully
raised them. Choosing the varieties he likes best and that have the highest
quality is a big part of organic farming. A purveyor may know the variety
names of the fruit or vegetables he’s selling, but often may not. If he
doesn’t know, that’s as close to a guarantee that he’s a purveyor as you’ll
get.

The clincher, of course, is to ask, “Where’s your farm?” The farmer will
know, the purveyor won’t, or he’ll name someplace far away. Remember, the
best way to eat is organic, local, and in season. Don’t be afraid to ask
questions at the farmers’ market. Real organic farmers are proud of their
efforts and will communicate that to you.
~~
Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook’s Bible and The Organic Food Shopper’s
Guide and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Image Credit: © Matt Ragen | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
Jeff’s Posts
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  • [Livingontheland] Farmers’ Market Tips, Tradingpost, 10/08/2008

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