Sustainability. Locally sourced ingredients. Nutrition.

These concepts ranked among the popular 2010 menu trends, according to the recent “What’s Hot in 2010? survey of more than 1,800 member chefs from the American Culinary Federation.  Here at the Ranch, we embrace all three.

Sustainable – Christopher Ranch follows a comprehensive sustainability program throughout all levels of operations, starting with our garlic, which is grown as environmentally friendly as possible. We rotate our crops every four years to preserve the quality of the soil, apply drip irrigation to one-third of our garlic crop – achieving 10% water savings annually – and apply fertilizer and pesticide levels that are 50% below suggested levels. Further sustainable practices include a packaging line that is 90% recyclable – moving toward increased compostability; transitioning one-third of our forklifts to electric; using an ozone cleaning system to minimize chemical use during equipment cleaning and more. To read more about Christopher Ranch’s sustainability practices, click here.

Locally sourced ingredients – We offer heirloom garlic, grown in California, year round. While opinions vary on what constitutes local, California-grown garlic is definitely more local than the alternatives from China, Argentina, Mexico, etc.

Nutrition – Fresh garlic is believed to offer tremendous medicinal value, equipped with various nutrients, like vitamins B and C, selenium, calcium, iron, phosphorous, allicin, potassium, zinc and many others. Research suggests fresh garlic can battle numerous health conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, strokes, diabetes, obesity and others. Interestingly enough, studies conducted by the National Food Laboratory showed that California heirloom garlic contains higher levels of valuable oils and nutrients – vitamins, amino acids, proteins, etc. – than Chinese, Mexican and Argentine garlic, indicating a healthier, more flavorful garlic.

If you’re looking for an ingredient to help make your menu one of the trendiest in 2010, keep it sustainable, local, and nutrititious with California heirloom garlic.