Hey hipster, think you have what it takes to grow your own? Before you grab your favorite hoe, let Holly von Winckel walk you through the pros and cons.
Remember when Santa Fe-based organic seed/food company Seeds of Change got bought out by behemoth Mars, Inc? And everyone said it was just a cynical green-washing PR ploy? And they were right, because Mars shut the farm down and moved operations completely out of state, but retained the company’s made-from-scratch brand and feel-good history for itself?
You can buy that farm. It’s on 14 acres in El Guique, just north of Española. The property comes with a residence, two green houses, a 5,000 square-foot processing building and an apple orchard. And it’s certified organic.
After 12 years of feeding students at Escuela del Sol montessori, Robin Day and her husband Tom Day began selling her cooking to the public. The initial idea, she told me, was to take advantage of a semi-captive audience: parental units that are obligated to drop by the building twice a day, having been briefed by their kids on how good the food is.
It’s Wednesday at high noon. A half-dozen food trucks line the parking lot at Talin Market, and they’re ready to serve up more than the usual hot dog. I’m here to sample the goods, beginning with The Chopping Block’s soft fish taco garnished with mango salsa. I wash it down with organic limeade at Make My Lunch, then head to Oz Patisserie’s over-the-top desserts, where I’m handed one of the best crème brûlées I’ve had in town.
Genetically engineered plants will affect organic dairy and meat
By Ari LeVaux
The Obama administration struck a blow to freedom in food and agriculture late January when theUSDA deregulated genetically modified alfalfa seed. The agency’s decision threatens to deprive farmers of the right to produce GM-free milk and meat, while denying consumers the right to purchase it.
How did the idea of Frost Hill Organics come about?
Well, I was working at Los Poblanos last year over the winter, and one of my friends inherited land from his dad. He knew I was looking for a farm so he let me use his land for farming.
Where do you sell your harvest?
Most of the food I move through my CSA program—community supported agriculture. I also sell in Cedar Crest, Edgewood and Los Ranchos farmers market.
Are you finding a greater demand for organic foods than in the past?
I'm glad that eating organic is easier than it used to be. Conventional supermarkets offer some organic produce. Natural food markets abound. It might be time to join a community farm program such as Beneficial Farms CSA, which has been active in Santa Fe since 1994 and is now enrolling members in Albuquerque.
It’s Los Ranchos Growers’ Market opening day, and when I arrive at 7 a.m., a lively crowd is already jockeying for position around the stalls. I find Hand To Mouth Foods, LLC where Jeffrey Lee and wife Elaine DiFederico offer tables full of starter plants, assorted greens and carefully packed early harvests. I’m looking for breakfast, and in the midst of the greens is a tempting array of baked goods. I walk away munching a piñon-spangled custard tart, saving an onion galette and a fruit tart for later.
People spend more money on organic meat than on conventional meat for a range of health, environmental and ethical reasons. At my local store, however, none of the meat for sale is organic except the dog food. Unfortunately for my dog, I've been eating most of it myself.
