Farmer Monte's Journal

The Scoop from the Farm

Archives for June 2017

4th of July Field Notes

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The Dinner Bag for the Week

Take Me To Your Web Site

Fruit! In case you haven’t realized it, we are in the height of fruit season with our growers. Blueberries and Cherries to be specific. And these are two of our oldest and most established partnerships that we have with growers.

Berry Best Farms in LaRue TX grows some of the most amazing high bush blueberries around. The acidic soil and high temperatures really make for a concentrated blast of blueberry flavor. These are not the over-irrigated big as a marble blueberries. And honestly, they shouldn’t be. The bigger the berry the more water the berry carries. So when I look for blues, I want to see a medium sized fruit packed with flavors. And we find that with Cary’s berries.

Also, you will love the freshness that we get from Berry Best. The harvesters (all by hand which is hard to find these days) head out into the field and harvest for us. The driver then leaves the farm and drives throughout the night and delivers to us first thing in the morning. No warehouses, forklifts, or additional middle(wo)men standing in the way between the field and our members. Unless you go to a U-Pick patch, you will not see berries any fresher than we bring you.

Fortunately for all of us, our good buddy Paul, from Excelsior Orchards in Paonia, CO harvests the same way. And the 4th of July week marks the beginning of his harvest season with the long awaited….drum roll please, sweet cherries.

Paul farms 85 acres of some of the most high quality trees in the entire United States. I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but you will be hard-pressed to find better growing conditions for fruit tree production than on the western slopes of Colorado. The warm days and cool nights, along with high mineral content from the mountainous soils, make from an ideal location. Well, as long as you avoid the late spring freezes.

I met Paul and his wife Elane about 12 years ago as they were trying to find homes for their incredible fruit. Our CSA was small at the time and we tried to support their orchard as much as we could.

Over the years, they have increased their harvests and we have increased the mouths that we feed. Then about 3 years ago over a cup of strong coffee and with no lawyers present, we shook hands and agreed to buy all of the fruit that Excelsior Orchards and Paul could grow.

This agreement made it easy for me/you to ensure that we would have access to the most incredible fruits in the region (and probably country). And for Paul, he could focus on what he does very well, grow fruit. Part of this agreement meant looking at fruits and varieties that could extend the season.

You see, if you are growing for fruit brokers you want to grow it, harvest it in one swoop, and then be done for the season. But with this new relationship, the goal is harvest a moderate amount every week throughout a longer window. Many years we will see Paul (and his fruit) for 6 months of the year.

Cherries, apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches, pears, and apples all call his orchard and your kitchen home throughout the season. We are very fortunate to have such a special arrangement with Paul. And I would have to say that partnerships like these are really how a diverse regional foodshed should look. The grower gains marketing consistency and fair prices. The consumer gets fair prices (no middleman) and insanely fresh fruits because they are harvested ripe and ready to eat since there is no delay in getting them to consumers. A true win-win situation. Enjoy!

Lastly, our second Summer Camp is coming up around the corner. July 10th we will kick off the second in our 3 part camp series for this summer. Monday through Friday. 9am-3pm. And yes a tasty Organic lunch is created, made and eaten by the campers every day. Please send an email if you are interested in joining in the reindeer games. Ages range from 3rd to 8th grade.

Happy 4th of July, Farmer Monte

Berry Blast

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Produce Notes:

So many berries, so little time. The heat wave that is grabbing the entire west by the chops is making for an early end to the berry season. Get in while the gettin’ is good. Both strawberries and blueberries freeze wonderfully if you get more than you can eat in a week. Which is hard to do. I like to put frozen berries into my over-night oatmeal. By the morning, they taste like they were just harvested.

 

The Dinner Bag for the Week

Honey-Ginger Salmon with Brown Rice and Roasted Gold Beets.
Plus, some tasty over-night oats and fruit mentioned above.

Take Me To Your Web Site

In case you were hiking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and were without cell service, you know by now that it looks like Amazon will be the proud new owner of Whole Foods Market. So grab a coffee (or beer) and let’s look at what this means for the Organic movement and for the local food folks.

In my opinion, we should not fool ourselves for a single second that Amazon bought the Organic ideas, ethos, or philosophy of Whole Foods; they only bought the real estate. 460 stores worth of real estate to be precise. This is not a purchase of a brand, but it is Amazon’s cannon ball into the deep end to splash the food world and let competitors like Kroger and Wal-Mart know that Amazon is now in the Brick n Mortar food game. Amazon needed room on the Monopoly board game and they just bought Boardwalk and Park Place.

With that, we should read all of these articles about the Whole Foods sale as a death. Not a business sale. Because the company that brought us the Organic movement is gone and will never be coming back.

The Organic movement would not be where it is today without the presence of Whole Foods. Under the “question the status quo” leadership style of founder John Mackey, Whole Foods broke the mold of the unexciting stagnation that the American grocery store had become in the 1980s. Large manufacturers basically pulled the puppet strings of the grocery stores. So every store looked the same as every other grocery store and the food experience became a boring chore.

Whole Foods brought a fresh face to the grocery game. And part of that new look was a champion for Organic farmers and ranchers across the country. Organic became the buzz word in the ’90s which paved the road for the “Buy Local” food craze of the new century. Small Organic farmers driving around in beat-up trucks did not have the marketing influence to get folks to change their routine. People didn’t have choices when shopping and didn’t even know there was an alternative way to shop. Whole Foods planted the seed for consumers to question what was in the food they were eating. The 1990s was agriculture’s renaissance time here in the U.S.

This change of consumer behavior positively impacted farmers/ranchers both big and small in this country. Co-ops, CSAs, Farmers’ Markets, and Farm to Table programs all harvested the benefits of Whole Foods’ marketing campaigns. And for that, I am extremely grateful. We all should be.

But then an amazing thing happened; everything that Whole Foods tried to implement became available to all grocery stores. And the control that they held on Organic products ended. Beginning in January of 2015, Whole Foods became a victim of their own success. Other retailers wanted a piece of the Organic pie and got it. The monopoly was over.

Fast forward two and a half years later, Whole Foods experienced declining sales quarter after quarter. Add that with anxious stockholders and the next thing you know, Jeff Bezos is your boss. Oh, and that Organic ethos that was once the business card of Whole Foods is now in the recycle bin.

OK, so what does all of this mean? As this departure from the Organic ideals leave the company, they will be back-filled with the same products that every other store carries and the focus will solely be price driven. So instead of the manufacturers pulling the puppet strings on the grocery stores, the mega-stores (like Amazon and Wally-Mart) will be the ones calling the shots for the manufacturers. The pressure to cut corners to get the consumer a cheaper product will be so intense that by the end of the day, all we will be left with are cheap products.

It is on days like today when I realize the importance of the work that we do. We will continue to give a voice to the small farms and small producers. We needed someone like Whole Foods to act as a catalyst and bring attention to our work, but we do not need them any more folks. My dad took off the training-wheels on my bike one day and I had to ride that Huffy bike all by myself. Today is the day that the marketplace took off the training wheels for our community.

It is now up to all of us to support the local food producers or our food diversity will just be another casualty in this giant grocery consolidation that is shaping up.

Farmer Monte

The Great Food Shake-Up

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Produce Notes: Red, White, and Blue!
Red strawberries, White Nectarines, and Blueberries headline another phenomenal week.
Tomatoes, spinach, Romaine lettuce, and cukes will be at the party too!

 

The Dinner Bag for the Week

Fresh Pasta with Grape Tomatoes, Lemon, Garlic, Spinach and Shrimp.

Take Me To Your Web Site

In case you were hiking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and were without cell service, you know by now that it looks like Amazon will be the proud new owner of Whole Foods Market. So grab a coffee (or beer) and let’s look at what this means for the Organic movement and for the local food folks.

In my opinion, we should not fool ourselves for a single second that Amazon bought the Organic ideas, ethos, or philosophy of Whole Foods; they only bought the real estate. 460 stores worth of real estate to be precise. This is not a purchase of a brand, but it is Amazon’s cannon ball into the deep end to splash the food world and let competitors like Kroger and Wal-Mart know that Amazon is now in the Brick n Mortar food game. Amazon needed room on the Monopoly board game and they just bought Boardwalk and Park Place.

With that, we should read all of these articles about the Whole Foods sale as a death. Not a business sale. Because the company that brought us the Organic movement is gone and will never be coming back.

The Organic movement would not be where it is today without the presence of Whole Foods. Under the “question the status quo” leadership style of founder John Mackey, Whole Foods broke the mold of the unexciting stagnation that the American grocery store had become in the 1980s. Large manufacturers basically pulled the puppet strings of the grocery stores. So every store looked the same as every other grocery store and the food experience became a boring chore.

Whole Foods brought a fresh face to the grocery game. And part of that new look was a champion for Organic farmers and ranchers across the country. Organic became the buzz word in the ’90s which paved the road for the “Buy Local” food craze of the new century. Small Organic farmers driving around in beat-up trucks did not have the marketing influence to get folks to change their routine. People didn’t have choices when shopping and didn’t even know there was an alternative way to shop. Whole Foods planted the seed for consumers to question what was in the food they were eating. The 1990s was agriculture’s renaissance time here in the U.S.

This change of consumer behavior positively impacted farmers/ranchers both big and small in this country. Co-ops, CSAs, Farmers’ Markets, and Farm to Table programs all harvested the benefits of Whole Foods’ marketing campaigns. And for that, I am extremely grateful. We all should be.

But then an amazing thing happened; everything that Whole Foods tried to implement became available to all grocery stores. And the control that they held on Organic products ended. Beginning in January of 2015, Whole Foods became a victim of their own success. Other retailers wanted a piece of the Organic pie and got it. The monopoly was over.

Fast forward two and a half years later, Whole Foods experienced declining sales quarter after quarter. Add that with anxious stockholders and the next thing you know, Jeff Bezos is your boss. Oh, and that Organic ethos that was once the business card of Whole Foods is now in the recycle bin.

OK, so what does all of this mean? As this departure from the Organic ideals leave the company, they will be back-filled with the same products that every other store carries and the focus will solely be price driven. So instead of the manufacturers pulling the puppet strings on the grocery stores, the mega-stores (like Amazon and Wally-Mart) will be the ones calling the shots for the manufacturers. The pressure to cut corners to get the consumer a cheaper product will be so intense that by the end of the day, all we will be left with are cheap products.

It is on days like today when I realize the importance of the work that we do. We will continue to give a voice to the small farms and small producers. We needed someone like Whole Foods to act as a catalyst and bring attention to our work, but we do not need them any more folks. My dad took off the training-wheels on my bike one day and I had to ride that Huffy bike all by myself. Today is the day that the marketplace took off the training wheels for our community.

It is now up to all of us to support the local food producers or our food diversity will just be another casualty in this giant grocery consolidation that is shaping up.

Farmer Monte

June Field Notes

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Produce Notes:
Some hearty and gorgeous spinach hitting your plate this upcoming week. And just because I can eat a bag of them in 15 minutes, the grapes will be calling the Harvest Boxes home next week too.
Other than that, we are looking at more berries, greens, citrus fiesta, large and small tomatoes, heirloom potatoes, onions, and some avocados to round off your week. Fresh grass-fed beef in this week that is likely to disappear quickly. Have a fun weekend.

The Dinner Bag for the Week

Is a Calzone the Italians attempt to recreate the glorious taco?? Let’s find out this week for dinner.

Take Me To Your Web Site

I have to share a story with you from our 1st Summer Camp this week that almost melted my big bear heart. I was walking with our long-time driver, John, and he looked up and saw a kiddo sitting on top of our 1940s tractor. He yelled “Hey Everett, I’ll see you later.” The young boy smiled and waved back so hard he almost fell off the tractor seat. I was like, “How do you know him?” John said that Everett waits for the delivery at his house and greets John every week to say hi and see what goodies are inside the cooler for the day. Just hearing that got me all choked up.

Every week I feel like I am reminded about the importance of what we are doing here at the farm. Stories from ranchers, from growers, and from young dudes who love their food. All of these stories keep me fired up and get me out of bed every morning to keep working towards a better food system for all New Mexicans. Thanks for supporting this mission.

And from that Feel-Good Hallmark card, I must transition into some nuts and bolts for this summer.

The summer, as we all know, is a crazy time. Period. The routines that we held to diligently during the school year seem to get run through a wood-chipper. Our days become a little less planned and menus are a little harder to think about in advance. This chaos leads to a summer dormancy in the food world. More going out to eat, less time in your kitchen.

This annual migration away from eating at home is nothing new. It happens every year and will continue to happen I bet. The unfortunate part about this change is that the summer is probably the Best time of the year to be eating and cooking at home. Summer is the time when flavors and diversity are at their peak. Fruits start ripening on the trees and it is a pretty darn good time to be a Localvore or a Locovore.

So I say all of this to just remind you of the flexibility that we have consciously woven into our business model. This business and home delivery model are designed like a flexible Yogi, able to bend without breaking.

I received an email from a member who wrote that she needed to tend to her own garden and so would not be able to be a member this summer. Reading that made me realize that maybe I need to clarify some things. I’ve been accused of not being the best communicator, believe it or not.

With that, I would have to say that this farm is no longer a one-trick pony. Our hearts have always and will always be rooted in bringing you the most amazing produce, But… we offer some pretty delicious other eats too.

About three years ago, we set out to find and bring the best ranchers of our state to you. And you know what? We have done an incredible job. Kind of even surprise myself with how great our proteins are. So if you are growing a huge garden, you can still support local producers with adding milk, honey, baked goods, eggs, and meats. You do not have to order a Harvest Box or any produce, just to receive a delivery.

Additionally, New Mexico is a very challenging place to grow fruit. I can honestly say that I have tried some pretty good fruit around here, none of it is memorable fruit though. It is not our fault. We have great growers here, but the geography of NM just does not develop the flavors like we get from our buddy Paul at Excelsior Orchards in Paonia, CO.

The western slope of CO is one of the best places in the U.S. to grow tree fruit. Better than CA and better than anywhere in the west. Fortunately for us, Excelsior is right up the road and we have a great partnership that brings us all of his harvest. Cherries, tart cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, and apples to name a handful. He has been a mainstay for our fruit needs these last 9 years. So keep your eyes peeled for some incredible fruit from Paul this season.

Let’s have a great summer. Things are looking very promising around here, so let us help you have a tasty summer. If there is something that we can do (or bring you) to make your life better, please let us know.

Happy munching, Farmer Monte

Savor the Summer Flavors

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Produce Notes: First glance at corn for the season. Only a limited number of shares though so I would add those early. We will have more to come.
The flavors of New Mexico this week look like this: Tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Red bell peppers, Kale, and Cantaloupe.
Strawberries and Avocados from our coastal amigos in CA. And if you have not tried one of our pineapples, I really think you should consider it. Some of the most intense pineapple flavor I think that I have ever enjoyed.

The Dinner Bag for the Week

A Mexican Street Food Feast:
Grass-Fed NM Barbacoa Tacos, Mexican Street Corn,
Fresh Garden Salad and Pineapple Agua Fresca

Take Me To Your Web Site

For many farmers, June means the start of the farmers’ market season. Long days harvesting, followed by getting up at the crack of dawn, followed by crossing your fingers that someone will actually show up that day and buy the produce that you have lovingly grown for months. I used to love farmers’ markets. Every week was like a gamble. You had a great day or you had a terrible day. It was (is) a very manic way to make a living. Unfortunately, farmers’ markets are about the most unsustainable way to market sustainably-grown food. Let me walk you through this.

As a starting out farmer, you almost feel like you have to sell at the farmers’ markets. It is a rite of passage in a sense. All the cool kids are doing it so you better buy a tent and join the circus. So you do. But then an old farmer walked up to me when I was selling at the U District market in Seattle and brought my moment of clarity in one question. He said “Do you know who the biggest winner is at the farmers’ market?” Then he pointed to a box truck from the local food bank that was filled to capacity as farmers donated all of the produce they could not sell during the market.

I was 25 at the time and thought he was just being cynical. But week after week I saw that same truck from the food bank drive off completely full. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that it went to the food bank where someone would enjoy the fruits of growers’ labor, but the farmers got nothing for it. Nada. And as I prepared to break ground on my own farm in my native NM, I had to ask myself if farmers’ markets would be a viable way for me to run the business?

And the answer was a resounding No. How can you run a financially sustainable business when you have no consistent sales, no year-round income, and no promise that the weather will be nice enough for people to come out. I mean, you not only have to worry if the weather will allow you to grow healthy crops, but now you have to worry about the weather driving customers away? That is too much risk.

So starting the farm in 2003, I put all of my proverbial eggs into the CSA basket. I needed a consistent way to sell my produce even if it meant that the numbers were low to begin with. So we launched the CSA with 17 people our first week. The members doubled to 34 by the second week and just like that our CSA venture shot out of the gate like a rented mule.

And here is the most important part of this decision to just focus on the CSA; it meant that I had more time to farm. I was not spending time standing around in a parking lot hoping to sell my food. I was able to spend my time farming and not selling. I mean this is the conundrum of the farmers’ markets isn’t it? If you want to sell more food, you have to go to more markets, which inherently means that you will lose more time growing food. Are you a farmer or a marketer?

So just as growers are trying to answer that question, the USDA comes along and funds/incentivizes the expansion of farmers’ markets. Instead of trying to bring more shoppers to existing markets, the goal became to provide grant money to increase the numbers of farmers’ markets. So downtown ABQ went from having 1 really successful market, to having 4 lame markets. It doesn’t take an economist to realize if you divide the markets by 4 without bringing any new customers to the table, you end up worse off than you started.

I have to tell you that this is what I love about the CSA model; our business is driven by you and not contingent or dependent on the whims of a grant. We have grown with your support and we have been fortunate enough to bring other local suppliers onto our team with your support. This is how a sustainable local food landscape should look.

And if you find yourself at a farmers’ market this season, buy some food. Too often markets get over-run with musicians and face painters and you almost lose track of why the market exists. The market’s purpose is to sell food. It is not a dog park where you can buy a cup of coffee and burrito.

My hope is that some of these markets will close down soon and we can get back to a point of having more concentrated support for growers at a small handful of locations, rather than diluted unsustainable sales on every street corner.

Farmer Monte