Papa Spud’s Organics Blog

Vacant Lot Gardening

July 8, 2008 – 4:19 am, by admin

Pretty much anyone living in an urban environment has thought to themselves at some point, “I wish there was more greenery around here!” While living in south Quito, an area consisting almost entirely of concrete and metal bars, I felt myself approaching the border of “urban insanity” a number of times from lack of green. I remember thinking about drawings of futuristic urban utopias from my old Environmental Science textbooks, picturing the rooftop gardens and green open spaces and thinking, “we should do that here!” Then a speeding Ecuadorian bus would whiz around a corner, spit a cumulonimbus sized cloud of exhaust in my face and send me back to reality.

I’ve always thought rooftop gardens are a great idea, but what do you do if you don’t have access to a rooftop or open area? A London architectural firm, WHAT IF, is trying to attack this very problem with their Vacant Lot program (found via treehugger.com).

The idea behind Vacant Lot is really quite simple, and is based on the premise that there is a lot more usable “space” in urban areas than developers and residents often realize. Vacant Lot simply recognizes these spaces for what they are, and uses them to set up large bags of soil, and gather community support to develop urban gardens. The gardens are used to renew interest in neglected urban areas, foster a sense of community, and of course develop sustainably grown crops for community consumption.

My question is why don’t we in Raleigh develop a similar program? Just off the top of my head I can think of a number of “wastes of urban space” around the city. I’m sure with the proper support, permission would be granted to use at least one of these spaces for an urban garden. A few large bags, a truckload of dirt, and a variety of seeds are readily available and cheap – and would probably even be paid for by local sponsors (businesses) if that type of support were solicited. Community involvement would be the most challenging aspect of the venture, but is certainly doable – especially during the summer months. Could be a great way to fill those summer days, while also doing something beneficial for the community and the environment!

Posted in Sustainable Farming | 1 Comment »

Brighten up a Summer’s Day with Edible Flowers!

July 1, 2008 – 3:39 am, by admin

Looking for a fun and natural way to brighten up your cooking? Why not add some edible flowers!?

Believe it or not, many of the flowers we see everyday in gardens or in the wild are actually edible, and have long been used by cultures in the mid and far east to garnish and brighten food. The secret to cooking with flowers is simplicity. Flowers are a subtle and delicate ingredient, that must be accompanied by similar flavors for best results. For example, edible flowers would just get lost in the mix in a powerful dish like Jambalaya, but would make a great addition to a simpler dish such as couscous.

It’s important to remember that not all flowers are edible, and that it’s very important to properly identify a flower as safe before eating it. See the list below for more information on common flowers that are also edible!

Carnations: Petals have a sweet flavor, perfect for garnishing desserts. Only use the petals as the rest of the flower can be quite bitter.

Dandelions: Buds and young flowers are sweet tasting. They turn bitter as they mature, so get them while they’re young.

Pansies: Petals have a grassy flavor. Whole flower tastes of wintergreen.

Roses: Flavor usually depends on the rose, and the conditions under which it was raised. Usually a sweet fruity taste, that is more pronounced in the darker varieties.

Sunflowers: Eat the buds before they blossom for an almost perfect artichoke substitute.

Posted in Healthy Living | No Comments »

No Salmonella Here!

June 17, 2008 – 5:20 am, by admin

If you’ve been reading the news lately, you’ve probably heard about the recent salmonella outbreak being attributed to tomatoes. The outbreak was enough for the FDA to recommend that people all across the country avoid tomatoes for the time being, despite the fact that only a couple hundred cases have been reported (a small number considering the number of tomato eaters across the country). Even more curious is the fact that given such a relatively small number of cases, the FDA still hasn’t been able to locate the source. You would think that these tomatoes would all come from the same supermarket, or at least the same region, making them relatively easy to trace back to a common source – but surprisingly this is not the case! In fact, it’s not at all uncommon for fruits and vegetables from a single harvest to end up in grocery stores all across the country or even the world. It may seem strange, but over the past 50 years we as consumers have become so apathetic as to where our food actually comes from, that large distributors and supermarkets have developed a system where all tomatoes (or any other fruit or vegetable) are thought of as complete equals and mixed together, regardless of where they come from or who grows them.

It’s not surprising that the system has developed, after all it’s much easier for distributors and supermarkets to treat all produce equally without having to label items by farm or even region of origin – especially since most consumers haven’t even asked them to do so. However, the recent salmonella outbreak outlines some of the problems that can arise from this model.

While some people will probably argue that this model can be dangerous to public health, citing the recent salmonella outbreak as an example, this is far from an everyday occurrence – and probably not one that is worth changing behavior for. I think a much more pertinent reason to be concerned with where our food comes from is a simple desire to know and support what we like and value.

Let’s assume the salmonella outbreak has died down, and you go to the supermarket tomorrow to purchase a tomato. You take that tomato home, eat it, and realize it is the best darn tomato you’ve ever had in your life! You’d probably want to go back to the store and get more tomatoes just like that one! Well, unfortunately, if you shop at the average supermarket that doesn’t label product origins or even buy from the same farms consistently, you will be lucky if you ever find that same tomato ever again!

Another example – what if you are concerned with the environment, and want to support food that is sustainably grown. At a label-less market, you have no idea if an item was grown on a farm 5000 miles away, that literally saturates its crops and land with chemicals, burns fossil fuels 24 hours a day, and uses hundreds of thousands of gallons through wasteful irrigation systems – or if it was grown just a couple hundred miles from home, with minimal inputs, intelligent irrigation, and in harmony with surrounding environment.

Consumers these days demand so much information about companies and products in other areas, it’s really a surprise that we are so apathetic about agriculture. All tomatoes aren’t created equal!

Posted in Papa Spud's News, Sustainable Farming | 2 Comments »

Why are Locally-grown Organics so Hard to Find?

June 10, 2008 – 5:40 am, by admin

At Papa Spud’s we receive calls every day from people across the state looking for locally-grown, organic produce. It’s true, North Carolina grown organic produce can be quite difficult to find in grocery stores, health stores, farmers markets, and even on NC organic farms (as they are often sold out). So why is it, given such high demand, that locally-grown organic produce is not more readily available in NC?

In a perfect market environment, suppliers would respond immediately to an increase in demand. In fact companies like Wal-Mart have been largely successful due to their ability to respond to demand in real time. Unfortunately, the market environment is rarely perfect, and the market for NC organic produce is no exception. When consumers decide they want to eat more locally-grown organics, meeting that demand is not as simple as Wal-Mart ordering up a few more flats of organic strawberries. Somebody has to grow these products, and the switch from conventional farming to organic farming is a lot easier said than done!

The slow-down arises from the fact that a switch from conventional agriculture to organic agriculture generally takes a minimum of 3 years. To better regulate the organic market, and protect consumers, the US Department of Agriculture requires that organic farmers only grow on land that hasn’t been treated with chemicals, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers for at least 3 years. These regulations are absolutely necessary, otherwise anyone could claim that their products are organically grown, but it means that organic supply will always be at least 3 years behind demand. In fact, supply is likely more than 3 years behind demand, as only a small share of farmers are willing to take on the high initial costs in time, money, and know how that are required to make a switch to organic farming. Frankly, the whole process is very risky. Many farmers today would love to get involved in a more environmentally sustainable and harmonious system, but are scared that 3 years from now when they can finally begin organic production, nobody will want to eat local-organic anymore! Today, as the American economy slows, and food and gas prices continue to rise, organic production is as risky as ever.

So what can we do to encourage and inspire North Carolina farmers to continue to shift towards organic production? The answer is pretty simple – maintain a stable demand. I often hear people talk about how they have become turned off to locally-grown organic foods, as they are just too hard to find, and farmers make it too much of a hassle. Other people tend to purchase organics in streaks – eating healthy for a couple months during bathing suit season, then slacking off the rest of the year. Unfortunately, both of these mentalities just create a very unstable demand for locally-grown organic products, and makes the industry seem even more risky. A better scenario would be if consumers and farmers could come together, and develop a steady system of supply and demand. Believe it or not, North Carolina actually has the climatic variation and soil quality to become a very strong organic producer and self sustainable state. It just takes people coming together to make that happen!

Posted in Sustainable Farming | 1 Comment »

Eat Healthy by Appealing to the More Responsible “Future You”

May 22, 2008 – 12:23 pm, by admin

What if I offered you the choice between an apple or a chocolate bar - you can only choose one or the other, and you have to pick right now, which would you choose? What if I asked you for the same decision (apple or chocolate bar) but to be delivered and consumed a week from now? Which would you choose?

According to a study by the Harvard Business School (May 15, 2007), you would be more likely to choose the chocolate bar for right now, and the apple for the future.

Researchers at the Harvard Business School published a study last year (I’ll Have the Ice Cream Soon, and the Vegetables Later: A Study of Online Grocery Purchases and Order Lead Time - .pdf) that used the context of online grocery purchases to analyze the conflict each of us faces everyday when we try to decide between what is most desirable right now and what is best for us in the long-run.

It’s a phenomenon most of us know well, and plagues us at every turn of everyday. “I want to sleep in, but I should go to work.” “I want to watch TV, but I should go to the gym.” “I want a new car, but I should save my money.” Like anything associated with human behavior there are a number of factors that go into the “want v. should” of every decision, but one important factor highlighted by the study is the immediacy of fulfillment.

By analyzing millions of purchases made by customers of an online grocery store, the researches showed that people tend to order a higher percentage of “should eat” foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, multi-grain breads/cereals, etc.) when they place an order to be delivered days into the future. However, when people place an order for more immediate delivery, they tend to order a lower percentage of “should eat” foods and a higher percentage of “want to eat” foods (potato chips, ice cream, candy, etc.)

These tendencies are the direct result of immediate desires vs. long-term goals. If your decision is to be fulfilled right now or in the near future, your immediate desire for something sweet, salty, chocolate, whatever, is more likely to win out. However, if your decision won’t be fulfilled until further in the future, your immediate desires become less pertinent and you’re more likely to make a decision that’s in line with your long-term goals to eat healthy, lose weight, support sustainable agriculture, etc.

It’s an interesting finding, and one that can easily be extended into other aspects of life. If we can create systems in our lives that allow us to make decisions for our “future selves” we can reduce the less responsible pressures placed on us by our more hedonistic desires. Obviously you wouldn’t want to eliminate immediate desires from your life and there is absolutely something to be said for living in the moment. However, most of us do have goals that we would like to achieve for the benefit or our future selves, and this study suggests that something as simple as ordering groceries a week in advance can have a profound effect in promoting a long-term goal of eating healthy - maybe even a subscription to Papa Spud’s Organics!

Posted in Healthy Living | 3 Comments »

Welcome to the Papa Spud’s Organics Blog!

May 10, 2008 – 10:34 am, by admin

This is where you can come to read about all the latest Papa Spud’s news, as well as articles regarding sustainable living in the Triangle. Feel free to leave your comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

Posted in Papa Spud's News | No Comments »