How do consumers think we grow food in the wide world of “big produce?”
Western Growers shared a fantastic new video with Brent McKinsey of Mission Ranches. Brent's out in a kale field, showing us how they grow kale, the picking process, and how it's like a cute little mini forest.
He snaps off some leaves and gathers them into a bunch to show us the bunches we see in the store.
This reminds me of the time I decided to join in on a local produce buying group here in Austin, TX.
I ordered six bunches of kale, intending to make the mother of all batches of kale chips. It was about 99 cents a bunch.
Once I picked them up (from a cooler on someone's porch), I brought them home and put them in the sink. Immediately, I started finding bugs and eggs stuck to the undersides of the leaves. BUGS EVERYWHERE. This wasn't just one or two. It was an infestation. They didn't rinse off.
Horrified, I emailed the rest of the group to let them know to check their leaves thoroughly.
Here's the responses I got:
I do think that seeing stuff like that is just a sign of farm fresh, local, organic produce.
Commercially they put greens in special washing machines to get the bugs.
Is this what people think? Organic means it's OK to be infested with bugs? “Big commercial growers” have magic washers to rinse field-packed bunches?
Really?
So, thank you Brent, and Western Growers, for sharing the fun and informative video that will hopefully help demystify the produce we find at the supermarket.