The Harvest Bee Blog

Good Evening, Friends: "We will rebuild." This phrase, tinged with a bit of sarcasm by some, yet altogether true in its relevance to the situation, appeared over local social media accounts this past weekend after that devastating storm wreaked its havoc on our humble town. For many people, myself included, the word that probably sticks out in the phrase the most would be 'rebuild', right? I mean one need only to drive around Naples for a few minutes Sunday to quickly comprehend the ramifications from this storm. However, Sunday morning I realized the real key word in that phrase of determination and resiliency is 'We'. It is very easy to feel alone in the world when you are staring down the long road of recovery that lies ahead after a storm like that one bull dozes through...or any other variations of roads of recovery. However, as we have seen so many times, people, neighbors, families, friends, even strangers and sometimes sworn enemies all find a way to join together in those moments to help lift one another up and while that may not necessarily shorten the journey to recovery, it certainly makes it feel a little less heavy and our hearts a little more full. I am sure many of you received that awful piercing warning siren on your phones early Sunday morning indicating the coming onslaught. Only a few hours later, as the morning was breaking and the storm passed, my phone rang and I saw that it was Chuck calling from The Hive. I knew eventually I was going to have to go to there and assess the situation, but I was not ready for the bad news just yet. I picked up the phone anyways and it became apparent very quickly that the farm was not the most important concern as Chuck explained that the monstrous Jacaranda tree right in front of his front door had fallen. Thankfully it had fallen away from the house, not on it, for a farm can be replanted and trellises rebuilt, fairly but, houses can not be so quickly repaired and worse even, lives cannot be replaced. A bullet was indeed dodged, but it still was not pretty...not for those that lived around the farm and I know for many of you. too. When I arrived at The Hive it was a magical scene, both devastating and divine. Whole trees, limbs, power lines, lanai screens, and much more thrown everywhere. Amongst all this rubble, though, stood neighbors all teaming up to clean up the mess at each others' residences. The human spirit was alive and well and that is energy that we so desperately need, both in difficult times AND in times of happiness. Ultimately, the field and the fruit tress all held up pretty well with only minor losses, but nothing that cannot be rebounded from and not enough to stop us from proceeding with the CSA this week. Although we may not fully grasp the effects of the storm for at least a few more days, we are upbeat that we will be ok. In fact, one of the great gifts of the storm for us is a few nice mounds of mulch that will be working its way back into the soil to increase its structure. How about that for bio-dynamic?!? A very special thank you to Rachel for scavenging the field for tree limbs and stabilizing the pepper plants. That was a phenomenal help! Certainly, I am grateful for the people of Tallowood Way, too, for reminding me why humans are so special. Obviously, we farmers mainly grow food for humans to consume and situations like this storm event and the aftermath kindle the fire within to commit even more to growing food for people in all of their infinite forms of beauty, compassion, and love. In this week's share you will find the following: Starfruit Passion Fruit Grapefruit Coconut Lettuce Mix Beans To extract the very nutritious coconut water, check out this video of how to open it, as well as to have access to the edible coconut flesh. (No, that's not Matt Riley in the video!) However, if you really want to make life simple and are just looking for the water simple power drill a few long holes in one end of the coconut and filter out the water for a nice refreshing and energizing morning drink to start the day! You will hear/feel the drill bit break through the flesh and into the cavity where the water is held. Use a longer bit (6" at least). Something different, yet totally native. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNndQKpUz3w What a crazy season, so far! July temperatures in the middle of December. Now hurricane like storms in the middle of Jan. What's next? Snow in March? Whatever it will be it will be and we will respond accordingly. All of you are in our heart this week for reasons other than sharing in farm fresh food and we hope that whatever damage was done as a result of the storm that the recovery is quick. Please let us know if there is anything on our end we can do to help, too. We will see you at pick ups this week and here's to toasting to good health through good food especially in not so good times. "Onen" The Bees

Good Evening, Friends: At the request of my good friends Ben and Rosa, members of the CSA, the newsletter will now just be directly included in the email, rather than as a word document link. The intent obviously being to make the information more accessible, especially for those of you often on the move with only your phones to check your emails. Rather than inundate you all with banter this week, LocalHarvest.org provided a very relevant topic/discussion on why the local food movement is so important and how economies of scale can quickly derail the small farmer. This article needs no editing and I see no reason to try to change or improve upon what has already been articulately said. When I read this article I could not help but really feel such a deep sense of gratitude and joy for our CSA members and your willingness to support not only our farm, but the entire movement, in general. Truly, when you help one small farm you help us all. I encourage you all to take time to read the article at your convenience. How sad it is to recognize how screwy our food system has become. However, people seem to be getting more active each day in casting votes for local, sustainable farms by educating themselves about where their food comes from and how it has been grown and choosing local over low cost. On the brighter side, the local, farm food to fill your tummies in your shares this week will include the following: -Mandarin Oranges -Moringa or Oregano -Pac Choi -Endive Lettuce -Spinach or Arugula Here in an incredible recipe for an Endive salad with oranges. You could use the oranges for both the salad and the dressing, if you so choose. You can halve the recipe for 2-3 people: http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=896&S=0 Enjoy this cooler weather...at least we don't live in Minnesota....brrrrrrrrrr. See you all at pick-ups! "Onen", Kenneth T. Alaimo Owner and Manager Harvest Bee Bio-Dynamic Farms Welcome back to the LocalHarvest newsletter. Most of us would be hard pressed to find something like a delicious ripe strawberry in our garden or CSA basket this time of the year. Produce distributors and grocery stores figured out long ago that warmer locales like Mexico could supply US consumer demand for fresh produce during our slower growing months. That was all relatively fine and dandy until they began to buy from Mexico year-round once trade tariffs were lifted and Mexico developed extensive greenhouse growing systems and diversified produce production. As this trend towards year-round production and exports continued, Mexico also became a leader in organic agriculture. In 2008 they had 128,862 organic farmers and by 2013 they had 169,707 organic farmers. In comparison, the US lost organic farmers during that time period- we have only 12,880 certified organic farmers in 2013, down from a peak of 13,187 in 2010 (more current data is unavailable). Organic acreage has grown to 2.33% of the Mexican agricultural landbase while in the US it struggles at less than 1% (just .64). An expansion of organic acreage anywhere means less synthetic fertilizers and pesticides being used, which I think we can all agree is a positive thing. I am not bashing Mexico or any other country for transitioning acreage to organic production. Yet the growth of Mexican organics combined with free trade agreements that eliminated tariffs on incoming food has become an increasing challenge for numerous farmers here. Many US organic farmers, some of them the same ones who helped create the organic community in the first place, are now finding themselves at a serious disadvantage when it comes to competing against imported organic crops. A recent study in Oregon looked at whether or not Oregon organic farmers could supply most of the organic specialty crops needed within that state (by processors, wholesales, retailers, etc) and found that yes, many organic crops were available in the quantities needed but that didn't mean that they were all purchased. One buyer interviewed stated, "yes they may be available but not at the right price". It may be true that domestic supply just doesn't exist for some organic crops and food ingredients that buyers demand. Things like organic hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and vanilla come to mind. But strawberries in May or tomatoes in August or broccoli in November are plentiful in this country, yet some buyers and stores are importing cheaper organics from other countries like Mexico instead. When a large vertically-integrated berry grower/packer in Mexico pays no more than $3/hour and a Californian organic grower pays $15/hour (that includes taxes and workers compensation), how can the US producer possibly compete? Many food activists complain about farmworker treatment in this country, but how could a US farmer provide better wages when they have to compete against an imported crop that was picked for pennies? It just does not compute. A poignant story from Nigel & Lorraine Walker of Eatwell Farm in Dixon, California illustrates this challenge: "Last year we were supplying very ripe strawberries to a famous vegan restaurant chain in L.A. They would pick up at the farm, drive the berries to Hollywood, and make them into juice for their smoothies overnight for the next day's orders. They raved about the flavor, and only we could pick them like that. They had been getting berries from Mexico, but the quality and the flavor were not good. All went well for awhile then they said we had to match the Mexican organic price which was just above half what we were being paid. I said "no" as we were making very little on the deal as it was. I was happy to get the very ripe fruit out of the field and make a few bucks on a box. In the end, I learned that the produce buyer was paid a bonus to keep the food cost below 22% of the sales; if they went over this they lost serious money from their pay packet. In the end, they stopped ordering because I would not reduce our price. We cannot sell anything at below our cost of income. Ninety-one percent of farmers who file a tax return have another income from a spouse or part time job. We [Eatwell Farm] are part of the 9% who do not and who have to make a profit every year. Speaking with my farming compatriots, they are under great pressure in the wholesale trade to match Mexican organic prices. Here I am talking Whole foods, groovy stores in San Francisco and restaurants who claim they fare wonderful farm to table goods supporting local farmers. There are exceptions who pay what the farmers need, note the word "exceptions"... .We are constantly looking for ways to adapt, and you all are amazing and supportive; but small farms, particularly those that depend on wholesale are really hurting. We all know you have a choice where to buy your produce and that choice really does matter. We need your support. " And that, my friends, is where you come in. Think about where your food comes from and who it supports. Kindly, -Rebecca Thistlethwaite

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Hello Friends: We trust all of you made it through Christmas safe and sound and are looking forward to ringing in the New Year this week! Hopefully, the New Year will bring in some cooler weather, but either way we will be celebrating the gifts that this record heat continues to provide by sharing farm fresh food with all of you, working with whatever the weather allows to authentically grown. On account of the unseasonably and record shattering heat we have been experiencing we thought maybe now would be a good time to briefly talk about the concept of “seasonal” food. While growing food according to the seasons is an integral concept to bio-dynamic and organic principles, unfortunately, this most basic of sustainable farming methods has been grossly distorted by the conventional food industry (and to a certain extent the organic food industry, as well). Organic crops are grown according to specific temperatures and climates. Yes, microclimates can be created in the framework of any farm in attempt to extend or get a head start on a specific crop (ex: growing in a hoop house or green house, planting near trees that provide cooler soil temperatures, companion planting). However, such practices rarely, if ever, allow farmers to produce large quantities of a given crop when it is technically being grown out of season and often times, that crop will never fully mature, thus making it quite unprofitable, as well as lack in nutritional value, especially if pumped with chemical inputs. Some farmers will even resort to using chemicals and sprays that should not be used in the growing of food…ever…organic or not. (By the way, USDA organic principles actually allow organic farmers with this label to use synthetic and chemical sprays in certain situations. We whole-heartedly disagree with this, which is why we prefer to call ourselves bio-dynamic rather than organic). In many cases, some crops just cannot be grown at all in specific regions and climates. Apples, for example, are nearly impossible to grow in Southwest Florida. Hence, you will not find a SW Florida apple cultivar on grocery store shelves around town. So, if we are to assume that the use of the term seasonal when used to describe sustainable farming is used to define the seasons that accompany the region we live in, why would a restaurant, grocery store, or farm market a seasonable item that cannot even be grown here? Sure, apples may be in season somewhere, but not here. It is important to then consider if you really want that apple after taking into consideration where it came from, how much time has passed from harvest to purchase, and what has been used to preserve its condition. Considering this, it becomes understandable why growing in season and nutritional value truly do co-exist. Hopefully, you can see why those of us who actually do farm according to our local seasons may take offense to the manipulation of this term. There is obviously much more that can be said on this topic, but we could talk forever. It simply is our hope that as you continue to journey with us as a part of our CSA or as supporters of any local, sustainable farm that you will become more accustomed to what foods actually constitutes as “seasonal” to our climate and at what times of the season they are grown based on normal weather trends. As that knowledge strengthens we believe you will be better equipped to ask the right questions to farmers, chefs, and grocers when skepticism arises about the offerings of supposed seasonal and organic food so that you may make the right decisions for yourself, thus ensuring that you indulge in the healthiest and most nutritional goodness for you mind, body, and soul. This week your shares will include the following: • Spinach or Arugula • Kale or Collards • Stir Fry/Sautee Mix (Includes: mild peppers, beans, and eggplant) • Radishes • Borage leaves (tastes just like cucumber, great chopped up and thrown on a salad as a substitute for cucumbers to add a little flavor) We’ve included a recipe for pickled radishes this week as a way to extend the life of your this root crop and try something a little different if you are used to just eating them raw or diced up on a salad: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/04/pickled-radishes-recipe/ Here is also a quick, simple recipe for the radish greens. One of the great things about the radishes so far this season is how vibrant the greens have been! Big and lush!: http://bettymingliu.com/2011/09/a-delicious-recipe-for-radish-greens/ Have a safe New Year celebration and we will see you soon! “Onen,” The Bees

Gunga Galunga, Week 2 Hello, Friends: Often times at the farm we are reminded of the wise words of Lady Galadriel, the elven maiden from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” In a world dominated by major (and majorly corrupt) farm corporations, Big Ag we call it, how could we small farmers really hope to compete? Yet, somehow and someway we do and we do so by sticking together. Rather than allow ourselves to foolishly believe that competition and corruption are the only ways to get ahead in this world, we believe that growing healthy, honest, real, sustainable food on small plots of well maintained soil will recreate and resurrect the true American Dream. Us small farmers see each other as cronies, sharing grief over a failed crop of tomatoes and happiness at the success of a trial run of potatoes or tips on how to prevent powdery mildew from spreading. The end result, or so we hope, is that together we can offer to the public what one of us alone simply cannot, especially as the demand for real food from real, local, farmers continues to increase annually. Sounds great, right? Truth is, easier said than done considering that often times it seems as though a new obstacle presents itself just as a previous one is being conquered and that cycle never ends. However, rather than succumb to the myriad of challenges found in small scale, organic farming, we strive diligently and passionately to remember just why it is we do what we do, a sincere love for the soil and all the organisms above and below it, as well as to give back to the people who so amazingly throw their support behind our growing aspirations. The amazing words of affirmation from our CSA members this past week has been incredible, to say the least. We are so very pleased that you have enjoyed in the first week’s bounty and hope that this continues throughout the next 20 weeks, especially as we work our way through the heavy doses of greens coming out of the ground, presently. Fear not, though, we are pleased with the progress of the carrots, broccolis, and cabbages, as well as the peppers and tomatoes, among other crops. Finally, some lettuces have started to make their way into the fields, a sign that the weather is somewhat starting to cool, and we are even seeing some positive signs of a trial run of shallot and leek seedlings popping up!!! We are really keeping our fingers crossed with those for later in the season. We will, of course, keep you posted and so as not to allow ourselves to get too far ahead, we have our amazing (sarcasm here) army of red ants littered throughout the field (speaking of small people/animals/insects) with those ever annoying bites of theirs to bring us back into the present and/or reality and man, sometimes reality bites hard. Those little ant bites, as painful as they may be, serve as a great reminder of just how strong 1 small being can truly be and how much that strength is increased when combined in mass numbers. So, here’s to changing the world, one small farm at a time! In this week’s shares you will find the following: • Black Sapote (AKA: Chocolate Pudding Fruit) • Grapefruits (probably last of the season, at least for awhile) • Baby Kale Mix • Mustard Greens • Pac Choi • Moringa We have included a description for you to review on how to know when to cut open your Sapotes, as well as a recipe for the Mustard Greens that seems to tone down the spiciness for you, if you don’t necessarily enjoy the kick of fire that mustard greens offer. Just substitute the mustard for the chard in the recipe. Enjoy! -Mustard Green Cakes: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013616-quinoa-and-chard-cakes -Black Sapote: http://tropicalcuisine.com/getting-to-know-black-sapote/ Two final quick notes of business: 1). Please bring your totes with you to pick-ups and we will refill them with this week’s selections. Those of you picking up at Juicelation, your food will be ready in the cooler there and they will have a list indicating what to fill your bag with. 2). Some of you have already informed us you will be out of town next week and have opted to not pick-up. Before we make a final decision on if and how next week’s pick-ups will work (Christmas is on Friday, market would be on Saturday – kind of stuffy there) please shoot us a quick heads up if you have not yet done so letting us know whether or not you will be in town. Once the final tally is in we will make a decision on how next week’s pick-ups will go and subsequently, let you know. Have a great week and see you all very soon! “Onen,” The Bees Matt picking up his bounty!

Hello, Friends: One of the beautiful and magical byproducts of farming is the countless lessons that working the soil can teach us. In fact, it is quite uncanny, this relationship between farming and life, whereby a certain reciprocity exists between the two. Farmers routinely apply general life principles to respond to various obstacles they may face in the fields while simultaneously adapting lessons of the land to the many other disciplines we participate in, whether it be relationships with friends and family, exercising, cooking, etc. Presently, our land at The Hive has lovingly reminded us to surrender to living in the moment and to sincerely embrace the clichéd, albeit wise “one day at a time” approach. It is far too easy to allow our dreams of where we see and want our land to be in the future to distract us from not only focusing on the countless tasks that need to be accomplished right now in order manifest that image, but also from truly entrenching ourselves in the beauty that the land currently possesses. Yes, we cannot wait for the tomatoes, but right now, how beautiful are these enormous heads of Napa Cabbage? It sounds so easy, right? We are endlessly being told either by our cronies or by our own minds to live in the now, but how often we do seriously let go and surrender to the moment, regardless of whether that moment is good or yucky. As farmers, especially CSA farmers, the success of a bountiful season absolutely hinges on our ability to subscribe to this surrender. Looking too far into the future, worrying about what crops will be available a month from now or what treacherous weather patterns may arise, is really not productive for farmers, as long as there is some semblance of crop and row planning, basic Farm 101. Instead, we must try to remind ourselves of the ever present ebb and flow of growing cycles throughout the season, with new crops reaching maturity each week while veteran crops are harvested up to make way for a fresh sowing of seeds to grow for later harvests, along with natural environmental occurrences throwing curveballs on a weekly basis. Thus, the only way to deal with a steady dose of these curveballs is to take it one pitch at a time and make sure that no matter how hard we may miss, we cannot afford to dwell on that miss. Rather, we most refocus, get centered, and strive to hit a homerun the next time…or simply be content with a base hit. Zucchini = strike out, so far. However, watermelon radishes, almost as big as baseballs, qualify as a pretty well-hit ball, not to mention how we are pleased to be able to offer some nice harvests from our fruit trees so early on in the season So, with that, we have finally made it to the first week of the CSA and we probably would arrived here this early, considering the sweatbox Fall we’ve had up until recently, had it not been for the resiliency many of our crops have shown to battle the elements and stay healthy and strong through the atypical weather patterns we have faced. With it only being the first week of the CSA, the season has a long way to go, for sure, and we are doing our best to maintain a wise balance of excitement and groundedness by enjoying the experience on our end one week at a time. We hope you will do the same because before you know it, we will be at week 21 shaking our heads at how fast the season flew by. In this week’s shares you will find the following: • Salad Mix • Napa Cabbage • Watermelon Radish • Grapefruits • Bananas • Oregano You can use the Napa Cabbage in any slaw recipe or you can sauté it, as well. However, here is a recipe for Kimchi, in which the hardiness of the Napa variety truly shines out: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5529-kimchi-my-way Please feel free to ask us about any other recommendations for any of the listed crops, as well. Finally, just a quick note that if you are picking up at Juicelation on Thursdays, you may pick-up at anytime past 9AM up until 5:30PM. We originally gave a window of 3PM-5:30PM, but you may pick-up your shares much earlier! Heres two a happy CSA season and the ability to say, “Gunga Galunga” when necessary!

The heat is on! What a hot and humid Fall we have had, indeed! Although the field has started to produce some lovely and tasty food, the abnormally warm weather has definitely slowed the rate of growth we had expected to be at moving into the Holiday season. Even despite the work we engaged in to build up the soil during the Summer could not have been enough to deter some of the issues we have faced, including a bout of fungus, as well as some sightings of green caterpillars and other pests normally not expected in healthy soils. These humid condtions we have seen as of late or prime mediums for such obstacles to occur, though, yet none the less we move on. We have recently resown Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Bean hoping for better results now that the weather has somewhat cooled down, especially during the nights when plants really are active. One of the benefits of the prolonged warmth is that we may be able to provide some warm weather crops much laterthan we normally might be able to. Also, the greens (Kales, Mustards, Collards, Arugula, Spinach) are looking like they are ready to take off. Furthemore, carrots, beets, and other root crops have already started sprouting and we hope to begin pulling them out of the ground as we move to the New Year. While these early season obstacles have really tested our resolve we really could not get through these bumbs without the support of all those who have shown up at the market to start the season, as well as our incredible CSA members, who are so anxiously awaiting their first boxes. We are so grateful for all the kind words and votes of confidence our CSA contituents have sent our way, despite already having experienced a 1 week delay in share distributions :-( We humbly carry that energy with us throughout these long, warm days and it sustains us during the inevitable shortfalls that accompany the farm life and while there have been some obvious set backs, we also have some exciting projects and additions to The Hive currently in the works. We will be sharing these with you as they progress so, stay tuned. (Hint: cluck, cluck!) With the projected start of the CSA coming the second week of December, we will be attempting to share our CSA newsletter on a weekly basis with everyone and therefore, will be taking a break from the monthly Meatosticku Juando so as not to be redundant. So, whether you are a CSAer or not, you can still keep updated of Harvest Bee news by checking the newsletter via Local Harvest and/or through Facebok and Instagram when it posts. We hope you all have had a great Thanksgiving with family, friends, and other loved ones and heres to a safe and satisfying Holiday season. We look forward to sharing in the joy of growing local, bio-dynamic, organic food during this magical season and into 2016! "Onen," The Bees

This posting comes at the end of a beautiful, early Fall day, following a long (by SWFL standards) bout of rainy, cloudy days. The plants definitely were dancing in the rays today, as I am sure all of you were. Now, as we turn the page into October, truly the farm season has begun and we undoubtedly, we welcome some cooler weather, too! First, a special token of gratitude needs to be extended to so many of you who have shown support and enthusiasm for all things Harvest Bee, from our new logo to the CSA to providing human hair cuttings as a means of organically keeping out rabbits who find a way under our fence. All of these expressions are humbling and truly sustain our energy, especially on those dismal rainy days that just passed us by. We farmers always hope for a healthy balance of sun and rain, but too much of either can be a real downer. When people send us photos of tote bags displaying images of bees or vacation to Italy and send us pictures of art work that include bee structures, just the mere notion of knowing that you have us in our mind is amazing. We can only hope that through our growing and providing of great tasting and highly nourishing food we can return these fabulous favors to all of you. As for the field itself…seeds are being sown both in trays and in the field and transplants from early season starters are making their way into the ground. With strong, healthy beginning to the plants it seems as though we are starting to enjoy the rewards of having diligently focused on boosting the soil throughout the summer with composting, cover cropping, and mulching and we hope that means great tasting food for all of you in a very short time. We hope to make it to the first weekend at the Shoppes at Vanderbilt Market, which is Oct. 17th. Despite the plants and seedlings having lost some valuable sun hours the past week or so we still think we are on pace to make that happen, if not surely by the end of the month. While we have endured lots of rain lately, it has not been problematic from a flooding perspective. So, crops such as cucumbers, radishes, and beans that typically prefer being sown directly into the ground rather than starting in trays are moving along nicely. Those crops, along with some different varieties of kale, mustards, collards, Asian greens and possibly some other goodies are expected to be on display come market time to start the season off. Furthermore, with the cooler weather, root crops such as carrots, beets, and turnips will be sown soon and brassicas (cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower) and lettuces will be started, as well. We have actually been just as busy off the farm as we have been on the farm. New connections are being formed, including a relationship having been established with Juicelation, a local and organic cold-pressed juice bar (you will find them all over town at various farmers market, as well as at their new shop in Liberty Plaza) and we are really, really excited to be forming a partnership with Banyan and Bean Roasting company and will hopefully, be offering some great selections of Fair Trade, Organic coffee bean roasted by a totally local roaster. We, of course, will keep you updated as these relationships develop. We hope you all have had a wonderful Summer and look forward to seeing you real soon. It is time, indeed, to set aside Social Media as a means of contact in favor for some face-to-face interaction. Here’s to what we hope will be an exciting and safe farm season! "Onen," The Bees

The honey has started to flow and life at The Hive is sweet, indeed! The first trays of Fall seedlings have been started and the major seed order for Fall crops has been ordered. These seeds will be started pretty much immediately upon arrival. Meanwhile, the CSA is almost full, although there are still a few spots left and we will be having a waiting list, in which we may possibly add more memberships as the Fall unfolds, depending on how the field responds (positivly, we hope). We have confirmed our committment to the Shoppes at Vanderbilt FarmersbMarket this season and are so excited to see some familiar faces soon. We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Juicelation, as well! You have to check out these incredible local, organic enthusiasts if you haven't already. They are at various area Farmers Markets and will be opening a store in Liberty Plaza soon. We have several new partneships with other area chefs and restaurants in the works, as well, and we will definitely let you know as soon as these are solidified. So....even though the heat may still be rising, clearly, the summer season is "Falling", which means here comes the goodies from The Hive! In our last blog, we briefly talked about the unfortunate reality of organic and/or local farming fraud found at the farmers markets and restaurants around town. We suppose it was only a matter of time that the local and organic food environment would become an avenue for the deceiful and dishonest to exploit the purity true advocates of this movement are working so passionately to create and sustain. As unfortunate as this is, people who want to make sure they are buying and eating truly organic and sustainable food from local fsrmers must understand that they can combat these jokers by educating themselves about the need to ask questions and what questions to ask farmers and restaurants when frequenting these places. Sadlu, we cannot trust many of these food purveyors to disclose the truth outright. How do these quacks get away with this? It's simple. They totally twist the nomenclatures of words like "healthy", "local", "seasonal", and "farmer". Examples: 1) Calling the food someone sells either at the market or at a restaurant "local" because they bought garlic from Mexico or kiwi from New Zealand from a "local" distributer. Local does NOT mean food from thousands of miles away and a distributer is NOT a farmer.. Furthermore, while a person may be allowed to sell that food at a FARMERS market under false precepts, they are NOT FARMERS, either. 2) A restaurant calling their meals "healthy" yet the majority of the dishes are prepared using conventional food. But hey, if they slide 1 or 2 plates on the menu that use organic food then naturally all the plates must use organic ingredients, right? Wrong. It is understandable that many people still are not convinced that local and organic food is unequivocally healthier than conventional. However, for those that believe the science and seek to fashion a diet consisting of only organic food they deserve to know the truth. 3) Last example, when a restaurant says they support "local farmers" or "local food" that does not necessarily mean they support "local AND organic" food. Retailers have cleverly, if abusively, figured how to prey on people's good will by distorting these terms. If you want local and organic because you believe that only when it is both is it truly sustainable and sincerely supporting local farmers make sure to inquire into this if you do not see both words in explanations or titles. Furthermore, we find lots of residents using the word "seasonal", which in and of itself directly correlates with local and organic, Yet, often times farmers who are growing number seasonal food are turned away from chefs because they say they "cannot use" those goods or even worse, they ask the farmer to be willing to take a significant discount for their food on account that they can get the same food much cheaper from a larger distributer (never mind that it is probably conventional or from long distances and thus, far inferior in quality) Ok, no problem. That is really just business. Just do not claim to support local farmers who grow organic and seasonal food then at the end of the day reject the food the farm is growing because you do not know how to use it or do not want to pay the price of it. Part of creating a menu that supports local food entails being very flexible with what you use. However, if the majority of your menu uses ingredients that cannot be grown during our SW Florida seasons, at least not organically, you are not truly a farm to table restaurant or chef and you are really not supporting local farmers when you try to rip them off. We may be farmers, but we are not stupid. Again, knowing how hard "farm to table" really is, many chefs and restaurants intelligently and honestly do not claim they are 100% F2T, but do what they can. We appreciate that honesty. It's the ones that claim they are something they are not that we take issue with because it really insults not only the farmers and the people, but undermines what people/chefs like Alice Waters and Dan Barber are creating on a National scale, or more locally, what someone like John Hart of Organically Twisted Food Truck is manifesting, as well many other chefs. Of course, counteless examples abound, but these are just a few of the common ways some people and entities are exploiting the whole meaning of local, organic, and sustainable. And why wouldn't they? The literature continues to prove the superiority in taste and nutrition in local, organic food over anything else and sales organic food continue to rise each year throughout the country. Not everyone is cut out to fully commit to this lifestyle and there is nothing wrong with admitting how difficult is is to completely change ones habits. There is no excuse, however, for outright deceit and no room for those imposters either. The bright side, there are several area farmers who grow only organic and seasonal food and only use sustainable methods in doing so. Also, there are awesome chefs and restaurants in the area who either use all organic ingredients or focus as much as they can on purchasing from local AND organic farmers and when they don't do one or the other they are honest and wilingly inform their constituents, even before they are asked. We do not intend to imply that this way of growing and cooking is easy. However, it is exactly for that reason that the more people stand together and defend true sustainability and real food, the better able we will be curing the disease of falsehood in the area movement. We can assure you, that Harvest Bee always seeks to only work restaurants and chefs that support the same values we do. While we are committed to growing real, organic, seasonal food we also clearly believe that it is our mission to be activists and educators in the movement, as well. Thus, when we see people and places adding negative publicity on what we do we intend to inform you and when we see inspiring examples of people doing the right thing to enhance the movement of sustainability we want to share those stories, too. With the market season so close, though, and the SW Florida farming season beginning soon we really wanted to bring this issue to light and encourage everyone to bee educated, bee persistent, and bee aware! "Onen" The Harvest Bees Questions to ask at the farmers markets and at restaurants advertising F2T and support for local/organic farmers: At the market: •Do you grow the food you are selling? •Do you use only organic methods to grow your food? •Is everything at your stand organic and if not, what is and what isn't organic? •Is everything at your stand grown on and from your farm? •is anything at your stand conventional? •When did you harvest the food you are selling? •Do you use any sprays or fertilizers, even if they are organic? •Can we visit your farm? (If they say no, be aware). At a restaurant or from a chef: •What local farmers do you purchase from? Are they organic? Where are they located? (local usually means within a couple of hundred miles at the most and if you don't see a really local farm, as in one located in Collier County, ask why they do not source from them? •What on your menu uses produce from which farm? •What on your menu is seasonal to SW Florida's growing season and are these ingredients purchased from local farmers? •Do you use any conventional ingredients? If so, which plates do so? •Is everything on your menu prepared using organic ingredients? If not, what is and what isn't? •Has your chef or staff visited the farms you purchase from?