Food For Thought

Recently we were introduced to a great website that supports local, organic and real food. It's a web site that is challenging consumers of food (fake) to stop and think about what they are buying, where it comes from and how much it cost to get there. As simple farmers in the neighborhood, we appreciate people like this who are bent on informing consumers like you and me.

Organic Consumers has started a campaign called Break The Chains.  There purpose is to "focus the consumers' attention on how each purchasing decision can lead to a safer, greener, and more equitable society by breaking the chains of corporate control in their own lives."  OC believes this is done by supporting organic (all our practices at The Simple Farm are organic), Fair Made, and locally produced products and business.

OC answers the question - Why Buy Local or Regional?  
"Today, much of our food, conventional and organic alike is traveling literally thousands of miles from farm to fork. (Did you know that at some farmers' markets - even here in the Phoenix valley - it's been reported that some of those vendors actually bring in food from Mexico, California and other states and sell it as local?  Read here.)  Along the way, food loses its nutritional value, burns fossil fuels, and contributes to global warming. Local foods provide exceptional taste and freshness, strengthen our local economy, and support endangered family farms (like ours at The Simple Farm).

If you'd like to know more about how you can break the chain and take the pledge - go here.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

Before You Pull out Your Wallet

• Who profits from this sale? (you the consumer, because of the relationship we have with you and you with us, you save gas $ and time and because you actually see the food while often still in the ground and also us, the farmers - because when you support us and buy from us - it says you believe in us. It's also the way we are choosing to become self-sustaining.)
• Are you buying this product from a national chain, or buying locally from an independent business, coop, or family farm? (Hopefully you would answer from the farm in your neighborhood - The Simple Farm.)
• Where was this item grown or made? (on our farm and in our farm kitchen)
• How far did it travel? (not too far - we're the farm in your neighborhood)
• Were farmers' or workers' rights protected? (so far, yes)
• Did the producer receive a living wage? (not yet)
• Is it certified organic or Fair Trade? (not certified - that costs tons of $$$ - but total organic practices)
• Is the company making or selling this item socially responsible? (absolutely)
• Is this product genuinely ecological & healthy? (absolutely!)
• What would be an organic, local, and Fair Trade or Fair Made alternative? (Supporting and buying from The Simple Farm.)

The Farm. The Market. The Neighborhood. Totally Local.

Our farm gates will open at 9:30 am in the morning - Thursday and we can't wait for you to come be a part of the local, organic vibe here in Scottsdale's own organically grown urban farm.

Goats, chickens, flowers, peace, beauty, beets, radishes, batavian lettuces, carrots, fresh snipped herbs, swiss chard, kale, spinach and sugar snap peas.

Does it get any better than this for an organic farm in the neighborhood?  I don't think so.

Keep in mind that our new thing is - that when we sell out - we'll just put a "we sold out" sign out in the farm driveway.  Last week - we did four harvests and sold out by noon.

A Busy Wednesday at The Simple Farm

The day after our market days is always busy and today will be no exception. Michael's going to build some raised beds in a few areas where he decided the ground just wasn't workable and yet the spot was perfect for our organic vegetables and herbs.  This is exciting for me.  I think the spot he's choosing has been crying out for something to happen and I can't wait to begin to seed there.

I love how Michael designs and creates. He'll often stand back and just stare at a spot. I've learned to let him 'stare' because he's really designing and pondering and considering in his head about what should go where.  So, in our farming relationship - he designs and builds and I get to fill it in with beauty. It works well for us. His ideas are always pretty amazing.

Today, I'm doing some goat kidding preparation work and researching a bit on some health issues with a few of our does. The community of "goat lovers" is wonderful - extremely helpful when a problem arises.

I'm also pulling out bitter lettuce in my personal potager and will amend those raised beds to get ready for planting - what, I'm not quite sure.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

The Dirty Dozen - Eating Pesticides

Knowing who grows your food, where it comes from and how far it has traveled is important.  If you buy food not in season, you can be certain that it has traveled and has some oil-based miles on it as
some loss in nutritional value.

You become what you eat and if you don't know about your food and the hands and farming practices from which your food has come, there's a possibility that you might be in for some serious health issues in the future.

Just about everywhere you turn you hear about buying organic and buying local.  Farmers' markets are springing up every where and of course, as farmers, we are excited.  We love our farmer's market.  It's given us the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people - those who faithfully buy our produce and other vendors that we get the privilege of working along side with.

To us, organic is so important.  Our farming practices are organic and we adhere to practices stated here with Certified Naturally Grown and just today The Simple Farm became accepted by them.  All this to say that just because someone touts their produce as organic doesn't necessarily mean it is.  Recently, California Farmers' Markets have been in the news with those they are calling the 'cheaters.' Read more here . . .

If you're not trying to buy all organic then at least know which foods REALLY should be organic because of the amount of pesticides on them.   If you are buying these "dirty" foods, it would be wise to buy organic. Of the dozen "cleanest" foods, it is the least necessary to buy organic. In the tests all the items were washed or peeled normally before testing. If you want to learn more, you can visit http://www.foodnews.org/

The dirty dozen--the most pesticides

Peaches

Apples

Sweet bell peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Lettuce

Spinach

Imported grapes

Pears

Potatoes

The cleanest--the least pesticides

Onions

Avocados

Mangoes

Asparagus

Bananas

Cabbage

Broccoli

Papaya

Frozen sweet corn

Frozen sweet peas

Pineapples

Kiwi