Large-Scale Production of RAW Fermented Vegetables: Quite a Challenge!!
One particularity of the business we are in is that we cannot produce on demand or on a short-term basis. The reason for this is that we are working under constraints which are particular to our field of production:
1) We can produce only with freshly harvested vegetables, the earliest ones being harvested in September, the last ones in November or December each year.
The reason for this is that the vegetables' physical and chemical make up changes gradually throughout storage, and undesirable factors, such as, for instance, an increased presence of yeast, will have an influence on the fermentation process, as well as unpredictable consequences.
Hence, each year, the production starts at the beginning of September and must be finished at the latest in January (less than 5 months in all).
This implies that if, in March, or June or October, we realize that one, or a few of the products are going to be in short supply, it is too late to correct anything.
2) The fermentation process is a gentle but slow process. It takes two full months before the fermented product is ready for packaging and shipping.
This implies, for instance, that the red cabbage, an early September crop, will be ready for packaging and shipping in November; and that the daļkon radish, which is traditionnally harvested in November or December, will be ready only in January or February of the following year.
3) We depend on the availability of good quality vegetables which are certified organic
Quality depends on the weather during the growing season, the quality of the soil, timing of the harvesting, handling during and after harvest etc. . ..
The certification body under whose rules we work (Ecocert) does not accept inclusion of organic vegetables which are certified under less stringent regulations than its own.
4) We prefer working with vegetables coming from local producers in order to have a better control over the quality of the vegetables.
Knowing the producer as a neighbor and a friend; being abble to drop in any time and being permitted to ask questions as desired . . . in other words, working in a climate of confidence with our suppliers is an important factor which allows us to guarantee the quality of the raw materials forming the bulk of our ingredients.

Fact Versus Fiction: The Truth About Organic

Dennis T. Avery, author of Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastics, and his employer, the Hudson Institute, a conservative research group, have been on a campaign for years to discredit organic agricultural production and fuel consumers’ fears about food safety.

The Hudson Institute is funded by such companies as Monsanto, DowElanco and Ag-Chem Equipment Co., all of which profit from sales of products prohibited from use in organic agricultural production. Organic food currently accounts for only 1 percent of food sales in this country, but with the industry growth rate at 20 percent annually, it seems conventional agriculture is taking the organic industry more seriously.

Initially, Avery's histrionic and misleading messages appeared mainly in the Hudson Institute’s own publications, such as American Outlook, and in small trade publications. However, an excerpt from his article "The Hidden Dangers in Organic Food" was published in The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 8, 1998, and included the following claim: "According to recent data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people who eat organic and ‘natural’ foods are eight times as likely as the rest of the population to be attacked by a deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria."

Not only is this statement needlessly alarming, it is erroneous. The CDC has never conducted a study that compares organic foods to conventional foods (see Facts below), and the statistic given is distorted from other CDC research.

Since the Wall Street Journal piece, Avery and his anti-organic message have appeared on USA Today Online, PBS Technopolitics and in The Tampa Tribune, Investors Business Daily, and elsewhere. Other media outlets continue to pick up his message and pass it on, often without adequate fact-checking. As a result, both journalists and consumers continue to receive manipulated or false information regarding organic food production from the likes of Avery and the Hudson Institute. The Organic Trade Association would like to provide balance to Avery’s often misleading allegations:

Avery's Allegation #1: Organic produce is more dangerous than conventionally grown produce. "Consumers of organic foods are also more likely to be attacked by the relatively new, more virulent strain of the infamous salmonella bacteria." (American Outlook, Fall 1998; The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 8, 1998).

The Facts: According to the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the agency has never conducted a study tracking agricultural production methods and rates of food-borne illnesses, including salmonella, and therefore any claims based on this nonexistent "study" are unfounded and misleading. The CDC, in response to Avery’s statement and the subsequent news stories it has generated, issued the following statement: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . . . has not conducted any study that compares or quantitates the specific risk for infection with Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and eating either conventionally grown or organic/natural foods. CDC recommends that growers practice safe and hygienic methods for producing food products, and that consumers, likewise, practice food safety within their homes (e.g., thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables)."

Certified organic growers must abide by safe and hygienic food production standards, and, as with all food producers, must be in compliance with local, state and federal health standards. All food--whether conventional or organic-- is susceptible to E. coli; neither agricultural practice is safer or riskier when it comes to bacterial contamination.

Avery's Allegation #2: In a Feb. 17, 1999, New York Times article, Dennis Avery stated that "‘organic’ and ‘natural’ are distinctions without significant differences in terms of public health."

The Facts: The terms "organic" and "natural" are not the same. Certified organic producers and processors must adhere to rigorous standards verified by a third party, either an independent or a state certification organization. In contrast, the term "natural" may have little or nothing to do with agricultural practices, nor does it indicate the use of independent inspectors. There are currently no agricultural practice standards in place for the term "natural." Organic farmers must adhere to strict growing and processing regulations to help ensure that the resulting food is safe for human consumption. This includes strict regulations on the use of manure in growing practices (see information in the point above).

Avery's Allegation #3: "Organic farmers compound the contamination problem through their reluctance to use antimicrobial preservatives, chemical washes, pasteurization or even chlorinated water to rid their products of bacteria." Avery has implied that the unpasteurized apple juice involved in a 1996 E. coli outbreak was organic. (American Outlook, Fall 1998).

The Facts: The juices involved in the 1996 E. coli outbreak and recall were not organic. Pasteurization, chlorinization and other food safety practices are allowed in organic production. There are dozens of pasteurized certified organic products currently available, including juices, milk, butter and ice cream; and chlorinated wash water is used in certified organic production, e.g. in the washing cycle of salad greens.

Avery's Allegation #4: "The ugly secret of organic farming is that its yields are only about half as high as those of mainstream farmers." (American Outlook, Fall 1998).

The Facts: Organic farming is not low-yield farming. The Rodale Institute of Kutztown, Penn., recently completed a 15-year study comparing organic farming methods to conventional methods.

Its findings were published in the Nov. 11, 1998, issue of the journal Nature. The study concluded

that yields from organic farming equal conventional yields after four years. Experts have shown that using pesticides does not guarantee increased yields. According to David Pimentel, Professor of Insect Ecology and Agricultural Sciences at Cornell University, "Although pesticides are generally profitable, their use does not always decrease crop losses. For example, even with the 10-fold increase in insecticide use in the United States from 1945 to 1989, total crop losses from insect damage have nearly doubled from 7% to 13%" (David Pimentel, Techniques for Reducing Pesticide Use, John Wiley & Sons, 1997).

Avery's Allegation #5: "Giving up pesticides would mean the certain destruction of millions of square miles of wildlands, much of it in the species-rich tropics. Because much of the world’s biodiversity is in those lands, a move toward widespread organic farming would cost nature far more than the careful use of today’s safe, narrowly targeted pesticides, high-powered seeds and factory-produced fertilizers." (American Outlook, Fall 1998).

The Facts: As mentioned in the previous Fact, organic farming does not guarantee low yields, and Mr. Avery’s allegations are not backed with any solid data. "Organic" stands for a commitment to an agricultural system that strives for a balance with nature, using methods and materials that are of low impact to the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility; eliminate the use of toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers; and build a biologically diverse agriculture. According to the definition of "organic" adopted by the National Organic Standards Board, "the primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health of soil life, plants, animals and people."

Clive Edwards, Ph.D., professor of entomology at Ohio State University, acknowledges the importance of biodiversity and methods employed by organic farmers in his paper, "The Global Need for Sustainability in Agriculture and Natural Resources:" "Growing crops in continual monoculture or biculture leads inevitably to much greater pest, weed, disease, fertility and soil erosion problems. . . . It has been suggested that biodiversity in agroecosystems is one of the two most important common factors in crop production if we wish to grow crops with the minimal use of manufactured inputs." (Edwards, and Mohan K.Wali, Elsevier Science Publishers, 1993).

Further, for Avery to make a blanket claim that all pesticides are "safe" seems to fly in the face of recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcements. As part of the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act, enacted in 1996, the EPA recently dramatically restricted the use of two commonly used pesticides classified as organophosphates. These pesticides are used on a variety of crops including apples, peaches, wheat, rice, pears, sugar beets and cotton. The EPA made the move as part of its concern about the effects of such pesticides on children.

Avery's Allegation #6: "Organic food is more dangerous than conventionally grown produce because organic farmers use animal manure as the major source of fertilizer on their crops. Animal manure is the biggest reservoir of these nasty bacteria that are afflicting and killing so many people." (American Outlook, Fall 1998).

The Facts: Conventional and organic agriculture both use manure as a part of regular farm soil fertilization programs. Certified organic farmers, however, must maintain a strict farm plan detailing the methods used to build soil fertility, including the application of manure as mandated by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. No other agricultural regulation in the United States imposes such strict control on the use of manure.

According to the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, "Properly composted manure can be an effective and safe fertilizer. Uncomposted or improperly composted manure used as fertilizer or soil amendment, or manure that enters surface waters, may contain pathogens and subsequently contaminate produce. Operators should carefully develop and follow good manure handling practices as a key to reducing the potential for pathogenic contamination of product."

The National Organic Standards Board, a 14-member panel that advises the United States Department of Agriculture on national standards for organic production, recommended at its meeting in February 1999 that in no case shall raw manure be applied less than 120 days prior to harvesting products likely to be eaten raw, or less than 90 days prior to harvest or products protected by a husk, pod or shell. Certifiers and scientists recommend the use of well-composted manure to reduce the incidence of E. coli bacteria.

For more information, access to organic industry experts or access to the sources mentioned, please call Holly Givens, communications director of the Organic Trade Association, at 413-774-7511. For additional information, visit the OTA website at http://www.ota.com.

Our Onion with Miso available soon!
Many of our customers are asking about our Onion with Miso which they had found so delicious in their favorite sandwich, as a revitalizing topping on their hamburger or hot dog, in our Mighty Mellow Onion Dip, and in several of our salads. Why is it no longer available?
Well, here is the story:
Our dear Onion with Miso proved to be an unruly child in need of some discipline. In order to tame its over-active fermentation we found it necessary to introduce it to new, friendly lactic bacteria.. It is an expensive and lengthy process, but we are hopeful you will see the former enfant terrible again following harvest this fall, tasting as good as ever, but in a more manageable state. Distributors and retailers, we believe, will be especially pleased with such news.
Please accept our apologies for the frustrations you may have experienced in the absence of our hyper-active Onion with Miso and thanks for your patience!