Pexels
By Dan Nosowitz
When we think of dangerous gases emitted by cattle, the logical first thought is of methane, let loose into the air by burps and farts to contribute to climate change. But cattle are complex creatures in their diversity of noxious fumes, and the FDA just approved the first drug to treat a lesser-known one.
<p>Cattle produce ammonia—well, sort of. <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/nitrogen-ammonia-emissions-and-the-dairy-cow" target="_blank">According to Penn State</a>, it would be more accurate to say that cattle are very inefficient at breaking down nitrogen, which they take in as part of their diet. They pass that nitrogen out mostly in urine, where it's reasonably harmless. But there are enzymes in cattle feces that, when they mix with cattle urine, form ammonia and ammonia is not reasonably harmless. This is a problem at its worst in indoor facilities, especially larger farms and indoor dairy farms, where liquid and solid waste combine on floors.</p><p>Aside from the fact that ammonia smells really bad and can be an irritant for humans and animals around it, ammonia can also contribute to something called eutrophication. Eutrophication is the process by which, in this case, ammonia goes into water sources and promotes the mass growth of algae and other organisms, throwing off ecosystems and sometimes choking waterways. Excess of algae on the surface of ponds and lakes can end up killing marine animals.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm625209.htm" target="_blank">FDA this week sent its official approval</a> of a drug called Experior, the first approved drug tasked with reducing gas produced by waste. According to studies conducted by both Elanco, the company that makes Experior, and others, Experior has no known health effects on cattle, with treated cattle showing about the same growth patterns and ailments as non-treated cattle.</p><p>There are, of course, other solutions to the ammonia problem. Experior reduces ammonia production by 14 to 18 percent, according to its FDA filing. Great! <a href="http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/best-management-practices-for-reducing-ammonia-emissions-beef-cattle-nutrition-1-631c/" target="_blank">But other studies have been done</a> in which farmers simply feed their cattle less nitrogen-containing protein—primarily soy—and those studies have shown that simply a better diet can reduce ammonia by up to 40 percent. Experior seems good! But feeding cattle appropriate diets—like grass—might also be good. Or better.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/11/fda-approves-first-waste-gas-reduction-drug-for-cattle/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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By Brian Barth
If there is one thing Tuesday's elections reinforced, it is that city folks and country folks are firmly rooted on opposite sides of America's partisan divide. Farmers are traditionally a conservative bunch and they have flocked to President Trump, even when it is questionable that it's in their best interests to do so.
<p>The president's trade wars have caused the export value of certain crops, most notably soybeans (America's biggest ag export) to plummet. And his stance on immigration stands to have a profound impact on the cheap foreign labor that farmers rely on, which is already in short supply. These are but a couple of the issues that figured heavily in closely contested rural races.</p><p>Incumbents are listed first below, while the winner (where known at press time) is underlined.</p><h3>1. Heidi Heitkamp (D) vs. Kevin Cramer (R) – North Dakota Senate</h3><p>Heitkamp, the Democratic incumbent in this extremely rural state which exports huge quantities of soybeans to China, hoped that the farmers hurting from the President's trade war would help propel her to victory. If any farmers did jump ship, their numbers were not enough to overcome her opponent, a Trump protégé who has expressed support for the trade war.</p><h3>2. Jon Tester (D) vs Matt Rosendale (R) – Montana Senate</h3><p>This race remains too close to call—as of press time, the Democratic incumbent leads his opponent by a mere 1,000 votes. Tester is one of two organic farmers in Congress, so a loss here would be a major blow to the movement. If he wins, it will at least be in part due to his ability to connect with the state's many farmers and ranchers.</p><h3>3. John Faso (R) vs. Antonio Delgado (D) – New York 19th House District</h3><p>John Faso, a member of the House Ag Committee, which is heavily sympathetic to the interests of industrial agriculture, was always an odd fit with this Hudson Valley district, an area known as a mecca for organic farmers—one agricultural demographic that tilts heavily to the left.</p><h3>4. Steve King (R) vs. J.D. Scholten (D) – Iowa 4th House District</h3><p>Scholten's longshot campaign to defeat the notoriously racist incumbent leaned heavily on his family's deep farming roots in the area. He traveled the countryside in a used Winnebago converted into a campaign bus, often stopping at farms and grain elevators to ask for farmers' support. This transformed the race from a sure win for King—the district is extremely conservative—into a nail-biter. In the end, however, King squeaked out a victory.</p><h3>5. Jeff Denham (R) vs. Josh Harder (D) – California 10th House District</h3><p>This race remains too close to call—as of press time, the Republican incumbent leads his opponent by less than 1,500 votes. This Central Valley district is known as a haven of corporate agriculture, which typically tilts right. But it is also home to a large Hispanic population, which supplies the labor force for the farms. Whether the left-leaning immigrant community will tip the scales for the Democrat remains to be seen.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/11/five-midterm-races-where-farming-was-a-factor/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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FDA Grants 'Breakthrough Therapy' Status to Psychoactive Psilocybin Mushrooms, Says Startup
02 November 2018
Popular
OllyPlu / iStock / Getty Images
By Dan Nosowitz
Various parts of the cannabis plant have already received full FDA approval; a drug consisting of cannabidiol, better known as CBD, has already been approved to treat two rare forms of epilepsy. Researchers have been pushing for years for relaxed legal status to study the possible medicinal benefits of hallucinogenic drugs, and now the FDA has given psilocybin—magic mushrooms—a conditional form of research approval, according to Compass Pathways, the company granted that approval.
<p>Allowing researchers to study the effects of otherwise banned substances is tricky; the DEA's legal definition of schedule 1 drugs requires that they have "no accepted medical use." That's an immediate barrier to study, and also throws the drug into question if an "accepted medical use" is discovered. Can the drug even be a schedule 1 drug in that case? The DEA has generally refused to remove substances from the list, regardless of research, though CBD—which is not psychoactive at all—<a href="https://hempindustrydaily.com/dea-takes-cbd-off-schedule-1-with-fdas-approval/" target="_blank">was recently rescheduled</a>.</p><p>Anyway! Psilocybin has been casually used both recreationally and medicinally for decades, and <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/182410/magic-mushrooms-reset-brains-depressed-patients/" target="_blank">international studies have indicated</a> that controlled, somewhat low-level doses of psilocybin can be useful in treating depression. Earlier this month, researchers at Johns Hopkins <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/science/magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-scheduleiv.html" target="_blank">wrote an analysis of existing studies</a>, recommending that psilocybin be re-classified to enable more thorough study.</p><p><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fda-approves-psychedelic-magic-mushrooms-ingredient-psilocybin-depression-1086759" target="_blank">Compass Pathways says</a> they have received designation as a Breakthrough Therapy treatment. That's the official name (rather than a hype-filled description) for <a href="https://www.fda.gov/forpatients/approvals/fast/ucm405397.htm" target="_blank">an FDA program</a> designed to expedite the approval process for drugs that have proved promising in treating serious conditions. As part of that designation, Compass Pathways will be able to conduct the largest North American clinical trial of psilocybin ever done: 216 patients with treatment-resistant depression.</p><p>From an agricultural perspective, growing psilocybin mushrooms is not particularly difficult, and <a href="https://medium.com/@Ayahuasca_yage/how-to-grow-your-own-psychedelic-mushrooms-d2c777d780a2" target="_blank">guides abound online</a>. But these mushrooms are not legally grown at any reasonable scale, and it's proved insanely expensive to buy approved psilocybin extract. <a href="https://qz.com/1235963/scientists-who-want-to-study-psychedelic-mushrooms-have-to-pay-7000-per-gram/" target="_blank">This Quartz piece</a> reveals that it can take up to a year for researchers to actually get their needed material, and that the price per gram can reach 13 times the street value. Compass Pathways actually grows their own and provides it at no charge to other researchers, because it can be so hard to get.</p><p>But this preliminary FDA approval, though very far from anything like decriminalization, might edge that door open a bit more for researchers who want to find out if psilocybin actually can help people.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/11/fda-grants-breakthrough-therapy-status-to-psychoactive-psilocybin-mushrooms-says-startup/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Mystic Cheese: Modular Shipping Containers Are Being Repurposed for Food Production
24 October 2018
Popular
@mysticcheeseco / instagram
By Bridget Shirvell
The so-called "cheese pods" that have helped the Mystic Cheese Co. grow are actually upcycled containers, now being used by food producers across the country.
<p>
On a 900-acre family-run dairy farm in Lebanon, Connecticut, two shipping containers sit among the barns and fields. Inside, in what is probably one of the smallest cheese-production facilities in the country, Brian Civitello creates cheeses that are winning the hearts of professional and home chefs alike.
</p><p>
Soft-ripened and buttery, with a mildly sweet yet tart taste, Mystic Cheese Co.'s signature product, Melville cheese, is a kitchen workhorse. Great in pastas, grilled cheese sandwiches and any dish that calls for melty cheese, it can be found in restaurants and specialty markets throughout the United States. But this cheese, along with four other types that the company now produces, wouldn't exist without the upcycled shipping containers that Civitello fondly refers to as "cheese pods."
</p><p>
"We never would have been able to grow without the pods," said Civitello. "They allowed us to test the waters and focus on developing the brand."
</p><p>
Across the country, people now use upcycled shipping containers to grow mushrooms and herbs and even serve as restaurants. But when Civitello and his business partner, Jason Sobocinski, began Mystic Cheese Co., in 2013, their use in food production was relatively new. "We were just throwing spaghetti against the wall," said Civitello.
</p><div id="2172a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="LBOWB31576664086"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BVssB5Dj4Ym/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Mystic Cheese on Instagram: “National take your pet to work day? Got that covered. #cheesepup #willworkforcheese #mysticcheese”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>
The containers let them keep costs and production time low. By taking milk directly from cows on the farm for cheese production, they have been able to age 30,000 pounds of cheese a year on average. The process blends Civitello's love of technology with lessons learned from a childhood growing up on a small family farm. After spending his early 20s as a DJ, Civitello was inspired by his Italian grandfather to study cheesemaking in Italy. He learned how to make cheese over an open fire in a copper pot from a cheesemaker in the Alps and studied industrial production from some of the larger cheesemakers.<br>
</p><p>
"I like technology, and I don't mind industrial production," said Civitello. "I thought if this guy is in the mountains, doing it by hand, how are these guys making it? What I learned is that there are parts they keep their hands on and parts that can be done by more efficient systems. Cheesemaking is a mix of science and art."</p>
<div id="1ae2d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4C8FOP1576664086"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTOwnaGDH0z/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Mystic Cheese on Instagram: “#seachange external roqueforti ripened stracchino. #mysticcheeseco #coastalcure”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div>
<p>Yet, when Civitello returned from Italy, producing cheese was an afterthought. He started a consulting business for cheesemakers but grew tired of doing what was essentially damage control on mistakes made during the construction of production facilities. Wanting to make a mobile infrastructure he could build and send to cheesemakers, he created the pods that became Mystic Cheese Co. "Mystic Cheese Co. took off so fast that we disbanded the consulting business," said Civitello.<br></p><p>
This fall, the company will more than double their production capacity by moving into a 4,000-square-foot facility. There, they'll not only ripen cheese but also open a full-service cheese shop and café that will connect to a brewery in the same building. Not bad for a company that started out of two eight-by-40-foot containers.
</p><div id="10eb3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0UNNEB1576664086"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">
</div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BS3bpHcjeg2/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Mystic Cheese on Instagram: “Our first R and D blue batch is completed. #mysticblue @90 days. #mysticcheeseco #bluecheese #notbadthough”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><h2><strong>From Mushrooms to Meat Processing</strong></h2><p>
Over the past few years, the use of upcycled shipping containers in the food industry has exploded. Here are just a few of the ways they are being used.
</p><p>
<strong>A Mushroom Nursery</strong>
</p><p>
In <a href="https://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2017/a-mushroom-farm-grows-in-brooklyn/" target="_blank">shipping containers</a> in Brooklyn, <a href="https://www.smallhold.com/" target="_blank">Smallhold</a> has a mushroom nursery that grows the vegetables until they're ready to be put into miniature farms at restaurants throughout New York City.
</p><p>
<strong>A Solution to Filling the Food Gap</strong>
</p><p>
To create a year-round food supply, the <a href="https://okfoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma</a> installed a vertical farm in two eight-by-40-foot shipping containers that can produce up to <a href="https://civileats.com/2017/11/17/with-vertical-farms-some-food-banks-are-growing-their-own-produce-to-fight-hunger/" target="_blank">1,800 heads of lettuce</a> and other leafy greens every 45 days.
</p><p>
<strong>A Meat Processing Plant</strong>
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.plantinabox.com/" target="_blank">Plant In A Box</a> and <a href="http://www.dirigofoodsafety.com/locker/" target="_blank">Dirigo Food Safety</a> created United States Department of Agriculture–compliant slaughter and processing plants in <a href="https://civileats.com/2017/03/28/meat-processing-in-a-box/" target="_blank">eight-by-40-foot shipping containers</a>.
</p><p>
<strong>A Farm</strong>
</p><p>
One of the most popular uses for shipping containers is mini-farms. Los Angeles-based <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-09/these-shipping-containers-have-farms-inside" target="_blank">Local Roots</a> Farms buys shipping containers from the Port of Los Angeles and renovates them into mini-farms, which have sold produce to organizations like SpaceX and the United Nations. New York-based <a href="https://squarerootsgrow.com/" target="_blank">Square Roots</a> uses shipping containers to grow leafy greens year-round.
</p><p>
<strong>A Restaurant</strong>
</p><p>
A <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/shipping-container-restaurants" target="_blank">number of restaurants</a>, including the Miami-based <a href="https://www.charcoalmiami.com/" target="_blank">Charcoal</a>, call shipping containers home.
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/10/mystic-cheese-modular-shipping-containers-are-being-repurposed-for-food-production/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em>
</p>
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Daniel Bruno / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Brian Barth
René Redzepi and David Zilber talk us through how to make a delicious Fall kombucha from their new release The Noma Guide to Fermentation.
<h3>Apple Kombucha</h3><p>Juicing your own apples will allow you to use local varieties and create a blend to your liking, but feel free to use a good-quality store-bought unfiltered apple cider; farmstands often sell fresh-pressed cider in season. Because the juice is naturally sweet, you won't need to add sugar to this recipe. The in-depth instructions for Lemon Verbena Kombucha serve as a template for all the kombucha recipes in this chapter. We recommend you read that recipe before starting in on this one.</p><p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>2 kilograms unfiltered apple juice</li><li>200 grams unpasteurized kombucha or the liquid that comes with a packaged SCOBY</li><li>1 SCOBY</li></ul><p><strong><span></span>Instructions</strong></p><p><span></span>1. Pour the apple juice into the fermentation vessel. Backslop by stirring in the 200 grams unpasteurized kombucha. Wearing gloves, carefully place the SCOBY into the liquid. Cover the top of the fermentation vessel with cheesecloth or a breathable kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. Label the kombucha and set it in a warm place.</p><p><span></span><span></span>2. Leave the kombucha to ferment, tracking its progress each day. Make sure the top of the SCOBY doesn't dry out; use a ladle to moisten it with some of the liquid, if necessary. Once you're happy with the flavor of your kombucha—probably between 7 and 10 days from the start—transfer the SCOBY to a container for storage and strain the kombucha. Consume immediately or refrigerate, freeze, or bottle it.</p><h2><strong>Suggested Uses</strong></h2><p><strong>Apple Kombucha Herb Tonic</strong></p><p>Blending apple kombucha with fresh herbs infuses the liquid with ethereal aromatic qualities. In Copenhagen, we're fortunate to be able to take a walk around the neighborhood and find young Douglas fir branches to make a brisk apple-pine tonic. (Whir 25 grams fresh fir needles with 500 grams apple kombucha in a blender, strain, and serve.) But you can also find plenty of suitable dance partners for apple kombucha at your local market. Use a stand blender to whir half a bunch of basil or 10 grams picked rosemary needles with 500 grams apple kombucha. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for an invigorating pick-me-up.</p><p><strong>Apple-Vegetable Smoothie</strong></p><p>Blending cooked vegetables with fruit kombuchas is an absolutely delicious way to get a little fiber (and also a great way to sneak more vegetables into your kids' diets). Good matches for apple kombucha include spinach, sorrel, cabbage, or baked beets (which also pair well with rose kombucha). Because the vegetables are so full of fiber, they will thicken up in a blender nicely. Aim for a 4:1 ratio of kombucha to vegetable, and blend for at least a minute before passing it through a fine-mesh sieve and serving.</p><p><em> Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/10/how-to-make-apple-kombucha/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em></p>
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Richard Levine / Corbis News / Getty Images
By Dan Nosowitz
Tesco, one of the UK's biggest supermarket chains, announced this week that it will remove "best by" date labels from 116 fruit and vegetable items. The move builds on a smaller reduction in the label earlier this year. So why are those labels bad?
<p>The "best by" label, along with its siblings "best before" and "best if used by," are not federally regulated in any way; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/eustaciahuen/2017/06/30/foodlabels/#5c0e35635936" target="_blank">they are not only not required</a>, but there aren't even any rules about how to determine which product gets which date. (It's sometimes done by anecdotal evidence, sometimes by lab tests, more often by just following other labels and assuming that, say, the best time to drink milk is earlier than two weeks after it was processed.)</p><p>But over the past few years, resistance to the "best by" label has grown. A 2016 survey from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic found that 84 percent of respondents occasionally throw away food that's past its labeled date, and a third of respondents "usually" or "always" do. This is a significant issue because that food isn't actually bad; the "best by" date is not the same as a spoilage date. The "best by" label is, unexpectedly, a major contributor to food waste, and food waste is so rampant in the US that <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/04/healthy-diets-lead-to-more-food-waste/" target="_blank">an estimated 40 percent</a> of the entire country's food never makes it to the plate.</p><p>Tesco's own research indicated that 69 percent of respondents supported removing the "best by" label, with more than half stating that they believed it would reduce food waste. This isn't a trick to get you to buy spoiled food; you can tell if a tomato is rotten, or about to be rotten, in a way that's much more precise than a stamped generic label. It's a way to discourage people from walking past food that's perfectly good.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/10/should-we-just-ban-best-by-labels-on-food/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Natalia Bulatova
By Brian Barth
Winter is coming. But don't go putting your gardening gloves away just yet.
<p>Gardening is often treated as a seasonal sport, but it's possible to play in winter, too—you just have to learn a slightly different set of rules. The first, and most important, step is to understand which crops are best adapted to indoor growing. Then it's a matter of creating the right conditions for each.</p><p>If you have a sunny south-facing window, some of the crops below are fairly effortless to grow indoors in winter. If you have them growing in a pot outdoors already, simply reposition them inside and continue providing water and fertilizer (here's a selection of <a href="https://www.planetnatural.com/product-category/organic-gardening/organic-fertilizers/house-plant-fertilizer/" target="_blank">natural and organic fertilizers</a> suitable for indoor plants). Others will need supplemental lighting in order to thrive, as winter days are too short for many species to photosynthesize sufficiently. Find <a href="https://www.gardeners.com/buy/indoor-gardening/grow-lights-and-stands/" target="_blank">indoor grow lights and accessories</a> online and at garden centers and hydroponic stores. Full spectrum fluorescent bulbs are the most widely available and cost-effective type.</p><h2><strong>1. Herbs</strong></h2><p>Basil, oregano, sage, lavender, mint, thyme, rosemary, dill, and other herbs are among the easiest edibles to grow indoors. Of these, mint is the most shade tolerant, though it still needs a few hours of direct light each day to thrive. Basil and dill have the highest heat requirements, so you'll want to make sure they're located in a room that stays above 60 degrees at night.</p><h2><strong>2. Greens</strong></h2><p>Lettuces, arugula, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are also easy to grow indoors, though you'll have more luck harvesting them as baby greens, rather than trying to grow them to maturity. Sow a new batch of seeds every few weeks to maintain a ready supply. Greens do not need supplemental light if located in a sunny, south-facing window. Otherwise, provide 10 to 12 hours of artificial light daily.</p><h2>3. Cherry Tomatoes</h2><p>Fruiting plants are trickier to grow indoors in winter because most need ample sunlight and heat to mature. Cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest of the fruiting crops to grow indoors, though they will definitely require artificial light—about 16 hours each day. They also need nighttime temperature to be kept above 65 degrees to thrive. A warm sunroom where daytime temperatures reach 75 to 80 degrees is ideal.</p><h2>4. Chili Peppers</h2><p>Chilies (cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, etc) are another category of fruiting edible that is relatively easy to grow indoors. The smallest varieties, like cayenne, are the easiest to ripen. Growing requirements are the same as cherry tomatoes.</p><h2>5. Citrus</h2><p>Some types of<a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2013/08/the-modern-orangery-how-to-grow-citrus-trees-in-colder-climates/" target="_blank"> dwarf citrus</a> (which can be kept in a large pot) are suitable for indoor growing, or at least overwintering indoors. The beauty of citrus is that many varieties ripen during winter. For best results, keep citrus in pots outdoors from spring through fall, moving them inside whenever nighttime temperatures begin to dip below 50 degrees. Oranges and grapefruits are tough to ripen indoors, though lemons and limes fair quite well. These subtropical shrubs need 8 hours of direct sunlight in winter, or 16 hours under grow lights.</p><h2><strong>6. Baby Ginger</strong></h2><p>This tropical spice needs heat and humidity to thrive, so it isn't the best candidate for a room that is kept at 68 degrees with the dry air of central heating. But it is feasible in a large terrarium, which can be made with any standard fish aquarium that is at least 24 inches tall (to accommodate for the height of the plants). Ginger requires good drainage, so don't just add soil to the bottom of the aquarium; plant it in six-inch deep pots instead. You can<a href="https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/homegrown-ginger-guide" target="_blank"> start new plants</a> by cutting up store-bought ginger (make sure it's organic, as conventional ginger is often treated with growth inhibitors) into two-inch chunks with at least one knobby tip on each. Provide at least 8 hours of direct sun or 16 hours under grow lights.</p><h2>7. Sprouts</h2><p>Sprouts are by far the easiest way to grow a little fresh food in the depths of winter.<a href="https://sproutpeople.org/sprout-kits/" target="_blank"> Sprouting kits</a> are your best bet—these are basically a mason jar with a perforated lid. Soak the seeds (mung beans, alfalfa, sunflower, etc) for a day or two and then leave them to germinate in the jar, rinsing twice per day. No direct sunlight is required; ordinary room lighting or a bit of diffuse light in a window is all you need.</p><h2>8. Microgreens</h2><p>Microgreens are essentially sprouts that have been allowed to develop their first leaves. Or you could say they are baby greens that are harvested early. Unlike sprouts, microgreens require soil—a seedling tray filled with potting soil is perfect. Soak the seeds overnight to get them started germinating and then cover them with a thin layer of soil in the tray, or just press them into the surface of the soil. Keep moist. Harvest once the first leaves emerge by cutting them with scissors just above the soil. Greens of all types are ideal for harvesting as microgreens, as are peas (that's how you get pea shoots), and root crops, like turnips, beets, and radishes.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/10/8-indoor-crops-for-winter-gardening/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Denise Taylor / Moment / Getty Images
By Dan Nosowitz
A report from the Office of the Inspector General found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not only slow to find problems in food production but that it often didn't take the right steps to correct violations and ensure that proper procedures were followed after violations were found. Foodborne illnesses, in some ways, are on the rise, and certainly, reporting of those violations are more visible than ever before. But there are still issues to correct.
<p>Last week, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm621692.htm" target="_blank">the FDA released an announcement</a> that there would be a significant change in the reporting of food recalls: there is now guidance that encourages reporting of exactly where tainted food is sold. In the past, the FDA would single out the supplier, but not necessarily the specific retail locations where products were sold. This isn't always a problem; the FDA does give out product batch numbers, which can be checked against the product itself, or will list the specific brand name of a product.</p><p>But there are also products where this is a significant issue. Some products don't come with batch numbers at all, like produce, deli meats or nuts. In that case, it can be difficult to figure out, as a consumer, whether you've actually purchased one of the affected products. So the FDA's new guidelines provide a bit more power: they will, in cases like those un-numbered products, list the exact retail locations where affected food was sold.</p><p>Though probably inadvertent, this change is well-timed, as a significant recall of ground beef from Cargill was announced last week. More than 130,000 pounds of the ground beef, sold in nationwide retailers including Target, Sam's Club and Albertson's, has been recalled due to fears of <em>E. coli</em> contamination. <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-081-2018-release" target="_blank">The USDA</a>, which regulates meat recalls—the FDA handles everything else, which, yes, is confusing—attributed 17 illnesses and one death to the tainted meat. The USDA, for its part, <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/1c32728c-d885-463b-85e7-7308b092e9c7/RC-081-2018-092818.pdf?MOD=AJPERES" target="_blank">already lists</a> the specific retail locations that sold affected products.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/10/fda-will-now-tell-you-where-contaminated-food-was-actually-sold/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmodernfarmer.com%2F2018%2F10%2Ffda-will-now-tell-you-where-contaminated-food-was-actually-sold%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialMFdotCom" target="_blank"><span></span></a>
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North Carolina Produces 60% of the Country’s Sweet Potatoes. The Crop Is in Trouble
29 September 2018
Food
Logan Mock-Bunting / Aurora / Getty Images
By Dan Nosowitz
North Carolina dominates the country's production in sweet potatoes the way few other states dominate few other crops.
<p>The state produces about 60 percent of the country's total sweet potato crop, more than the next three states—California, Mississippi, and Louisiana—combined. Hurricane Florence's path of destruction has been fairly well tracked for livestock, especially pigs and chickens, but for plants, the damage is much less certain.</p><p><a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article218683595.html" target="_blank">The Charlotte Observer</a> dives deep into this year's sweet potato crop, finding that the rainfall from Florence fell at just the wrong time, and in just the wrong way. The sweet potato crops are near harvest, unlike the previous nasty hurricane, Matthew, which came in early October of 2016. Also unlike Matthew, Florence dropped a great deal of water over an extended three-day period, not allowing the floodwater to drain off.</p><p>Sweet potatoes are not fantastically choosy plants, but one thing they can't handle is periods of water saturation. The tubers, which are what we mostly eat, become waterlogged, soggy, and rotten, and are generally unsellable. (The leaves and vines of the plant are also perfectly edible and tasty, unlike the barely related potato, but sweet potato greens are not eaten all that often in most of the U.S.)</p><p>Even worse, this year, according to the Charlotte Observer, sweet potato farmers delayed harvest due to a dry summer, hoping for a little extra time and rain to get their tubers up to weight. Florence was not really what they wanted.</p><p>Some farmers will try to leave their sweet potatoes in the ground for a little while longer, to hope that they dry out a bit before harvest. Nobody knows exactly what the damage will be, though some estimate it could be in the 25-35 percent loss range. As a result of the pessimistic outlook, <a href="https://www.thepacker.com/article/north-carolina-sweet-potatoes-take-hit-florence" target="_blank">prices of sweet potatoes</a> jumped by about $2 per carton.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2018/09/north-carolina-produces-60-of-the-countrys-sweet-potatoes-the-crop-is-in-trouble/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Pexels
By Dan Nosowitz
When you think of "family farms," a nice bucolic image probably comes to mind: something small, maybe lower-budget or lower-tech, run by a family.
<p>According to the USDA's definition, those farms definitely are "family farms." But so, under this definition, are multi-thousand-acre corporate entities using automated machinery to grow genetically engineered corn. <a href="http://www.iowawatch.org/2018/09/16/family-farms/" target="_blank">The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism</a> looked more deeply into the definition and why it matters.</p><p><a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/family-farms" target="_blank">The USDA's definition of family farms</a> includes "any farm organized as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or family corporation." Size of the farm is not a factor; neither is the style of agriculture. A family farm may not even have a family that owns or works the land. In fact, according to the USDA, almost 96 percent of American farms are technically "family farms," which begs the question: why even bother with this designation if so few fall outside it?</p><p>The Iowa Center's article focuses on the state of Iowa, where about 90 percent of the state's farms are "family farms," yet less than seven percent are small or medium-sized farms that are owned by one family.</p><p>The issue with such a broad definition of family farming is primarily in the discourse. Aid is divvied up by revenue among family farmers, with additional programs going to some specialized farmers, like young or beginning farmers, organic farmers, and sustainable farmers. But the Iowa Center also argues that the lack of definition of small family farmers beyond merely "a farm with a smaller level of revenue" hurts alternative farmers, those who avoid conventional products and can, in many cases, be very valuable to local economies.</p><p>"The USDA does not have data on the number of these non-conventional family farms," writes Molly Hunter in the article. And without terminology and data to make sure these farms are properly served, how can we encourage them?</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/09/under-the-usdas-definition-90-percent-of-iowas-farms-are-family-farms/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Gabriela Tulian / Moment / Getty Images
By Brian Barth
It's not hard to grow a bit of basil or rosemary for when you need a pinch or two in your pasta sauce, but spices—the stuff that gives a real kick to chai or curry or goulash—now that's another matter.
<p>Spices, by which we mean things like ginger and cumin, have a reputation as being harder to grow at home than herbs, but to a large extent, it's just that we're not used to it here in North America. Ask any homesteader in Southeast Asia for a tour of the garden, and you'll find <em>plenty</em> of spices.</p><p>What's the difference between a spice and an herb? Technically, herbs are seasonings that come from leaves. Spices are seasonings that come from any other part of a plant. Ginger is made from a root; cumin, coriander, and fenugreek are ground-up seeds; and saffron comes from the colorful stigmas inside a tiny flower.</p><p>But it's true that a number of spices are impractical to grow here, such as those that come from large tropical trees (like cinnamon and cloves). However, some tropical spices, like ginger, grow on small plants that can be cultivated during the warm season in North America. And many others are temperate species that are easily grown in average garden conditions. Here are growing instructions for a few you might consider trying yourself.</p><h2><strong>Saffron (</strong><em>Crocus sativus</em>) – Zones 6 to 9</h2><p>Saffron, one of the world's most expensive spices, is the stigmas of a fall-blooming crocus bulb native to the Middle East and commercially cultivated throughout the Mediterranean basin. The saffron crocus is typically grown from <a href="http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/910891-product.html" target="_blank">bulbs</a> planted 4 inches deep in mid to late summer; a location with full sun and rich, well-drained soil is best.</p><p>Flowering occurs throughout the month of October. Each flower contains just three colorful stigmas which must be plucked by hand (or tweezers) and dried before use. You need a sizable patch to make much saffron, but it is a beautiful plant worth growing as a groundcover in a rock garden or at the front of a flower border.</p><h2><strong>Ginger (</strong><em>Zingiber officinale</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>This tropical herb is hardy to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit but ceases to grow below 50 degrees. In the Deep South and in Southern California it may be grown year-round outdoors as a perennial, harvesting the roots as needed. In colder climates, start ginger indoors in late winter, and transplant outdoors once nighttime temperatures are reliably above 50 degrees.</p><p>To grow ginger at home, cut up a hunk of store-bought ginger into 1- to 2-inch pieces, making sure there is a pointy "node"—the part of the root capable of sprouting into a leafstalk—on the top of each piece. For best results, use the freshest-looking organic ginger you can find, as conventional ginger may be sprayed with growth inhibitors that prevent it from sprouting. Leave the pieces on a plate at room temperature for two days to let the cuts callous over (become dry) before planting.</p><p>Plant the pieces with the node pointing up about 4 inches deep in rich, well-drained soil in a partly sunny location. Cover the pieces with just an inch or two of soil at first. Once the ginger has sprouted above the height of the hole, fill in the soil back to the original level; the new roots will form in this area just below the soil. (If growing indoors you can do this part in a 1-gallon pot). Water and fertilize frequently to produce large, flavorful roots.</p><p>In colder climates, you'll be able to harvest "baby ginger" in early fall when the weather cools off. In areas with mild winters, the roots should mature to the size of what you find in the grocery store by December. If you have space indoors, you can keep ginger plants year-round in a 5-gallon pot. If you do, just be sure to mist the leaves at least once a week to provide a humid environment.</p><h2>Turmeric (<em>Curcuma longa</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>Turmeric is closely related to ginger and is grown in the same fashion. One minor difference is that the roots are more tuberous in shape, without pointy nodes; instead, the nodes are the little knobby lumps that protrude from the root, so make sure you have at least one of these on each piece you plant. Also, turmeric does best when planted just an inch or two deep—simply place it beneath the soil at this depth and fill the hole back to the original level.</p><h2>Coriander (<em>Coriandrm sativum</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>Coriander is the seeds of cilantro, the common annual herb. This cool weather plant may be grown in both fall and spring but does not survive the heat of summer. In spring, sow <a href="http://www.burpee.com/herbs/cilantro/" target="_blank">cilantro seeds</a> directly in the garden immediately after the <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/" target="_blank">average date of the last frost</a> in your area, choosing a sunny or partly sunny location. Alternatively, in mild winter areas, you can also sow cilantro seeds 8 to 10 weeks <em>before</em> the <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/" target="_blank">average date of the first frost</a> in fall, and it will overwinter and produce seeds the following year.</p><p>Harvest the leaves all you want (without removing the entire plant) through the spring. In late spring or early summer, cilantro will put up small white flowers, which will soon turn into seeds that look like tiny green peas. After the seeds have turned brown, clip off the stems and cinch them into bouquets inside a brown paper bag to finish drying indoors. Many of the seeds will fall off into the bottom of the bag, but once the stems are completely brittle, dislodge any remaining seeds by rubbing the seedheads between your hand, letting the seeds fall into a bowl.</p><p>Store the dried seeds in a glass jar. You may use them whole or grind them into a powder with a coffee grinder as needed. (Purchase a dedicated coffee grinder for this purpose, as the flavor of the spice will be forever embedded in it).</p><h2>Cumin (<em>Cuminum cyminum</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>Cumin is in the same plant family as coriander and is grown and harvested in much the same fashion. It is a heat-loving species, however, and requires a long, hot summer to mature. For best results, sow <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/herbs/herbs-for-salad-mix/cumin-seed-2931.html" target="_blank">cumin seed</a> indoors in flats 4 to 6 weeks before the <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/" target="_blank">average date of the last frost</a>, and transplant the seedlings to a sunny place in the garden about 2 weeks after the average date of the last frost. By early fall, the seedheads should be turning brown and are ready to harvest.</p><h2>Fenugreek (<em>Trigonella foenum-graecum</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>Fenugreek leaves are occasionally used as seasoning, but the plant is mostly grown for its seeds, which are used extensively in Indian cuisine. Growing and harvesting requirements these heat-loving species are nearly identical to cumin. One tip, however, it to start <a href="http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingfenugreek.html" target="_blank">fenugreek seeds</a> indoors in biodegradable peat pots, which may be planted directly in the ground, as the process of transplanting from plastic pots tends to damage its delicate root system.</p><h2>Paprika (<em>Capsicum annuum</em>) – All Zones</h2><p>Paprika is nothing more than the dried and ground flesh of a bell pepper. "Sweet paprika" comes from sweet bell peppers, while "hot paprika" comes from varieties that pack more of a punch—though truly hot peppers, like cayenne and jalapenos are not used to make paprika.</p><p>The best pepper varieties are thin-skinned because they are easiest to dry; the typical thick-walled grocery store bell peppers are prone to turning slimy and rotten faster than you can dry them. "<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/leutschauer-paprika-pepper/" target="_blank">Leutschauer</a>" is a traditional medium-hot paprika pepper from Hungary. "<a href="https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/heirloom-seeds-catalog/peppers-seeds/sweet-peppers/dulce-rojo-paprika-detail.html" target="_blank">Dulce Rojo</a>" is an example of a sweet paprika pepper.</p><p>All peppers are heat-loving plants that must be started in late spring, and grown through the summer. Allow the fruit to mature until it is deep red. In the dry climates of the western U.S., thin-walled peppers are easily dried by hanging them in bunches from the kitchen ceiling; in the rest of North America it's better to slice them and dry them in a dehydrator, or in the oven at the lowest possible setting (around 140 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal). Once the peppers are dried to the point of being crumbly, remove the seeds and grind them into a powder with a coffee grinder.</p><p><span></span> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/09/7-fall-spices-you-can-grow-at-home/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em></p>
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