Here is a forecast for new items from Hepworth Farms, coming soon to a coop near you. Beginning Friday
7/20 we are offering two new Tomatoes, both in 20 oz. clamshells. One
is the "Mountain Magic" which may be compared to Campari or other
cocktail Tomatoes. Sarah Z says "they are the best Tomato ever". The other offering contains a selection of mini Heirlooms. On Tuesday
7/24 we expect the first of this year's Hard Neck Garlic and Sweet Frying Peppers. Soon after we will receive Celery, other Peppers, and
the final harvest of Apricots. Also various Heirloom Cucumbers,
including Suyo, Tasty Jade, and Striped Armenian.
We will
continue to have sporadic deliveries of Local Black and Red Raspberries
and Blackberries, but we have already seen the last of the Local Cherries. We'll see our first "out of the ordinary" Beans, coming from
Lancaster Family Farms Cooperative on 7/20, with the arrival of Lima, Rattlesnake and Yellow Romano Beans.
I was stopped by a member while I was walking home during the Wednesday
afternoon cloudburst, who asked "Where are the Apples?" I told her that
it is not yet the Apple season, and supplies from last year have been
nearly exhausted. Had it not been raining I would have added that a poor
harvest last fall led to shortages this spring and summer. The packers
who had any Apples at all in Washington state, Chile, or Argentina
understand the law of supply and demand which is, "We have all of the
supply, and we can demand whatever the ____ we want!" The prices have
been dreadful, beyond any we have ever seen or even imagined. This
weekend, one of our suppliers is getting an influx from New Zealand, and
even if the prices remain high, we may be able to buy unbagged apples,
if the prices are at least reasonable. The reason we buy organic in bags
so often is that on average the per pound price will be 20 to 30%
cheaper.
Most of us are aware that there is a
drought, as well as killing heat wave, affecting most of the United
States. Early reports are that this will result in produce shortages.
The first crop that is being severely affected is Corn, which will lead
to higher energy costs, higher costs on all Corn sweetened junk and corn
fed meats. In other words, this will affect the cost of just about
everything. It looks like our local growers of organic and "integrated
pest management" (IPM) Corn are OK. By the way, none of the Corn that we
carry is genetically modified. We are committed to not buying
genetically modified fresh fruits and vegetables.
Here are a couple of quotes from local farmers concerning the drought. "I don't have much of anything to send. The
drought and heat are taking a toll", said Robin Ostfeld of Blue Heron
Farm near the Finger Lakes. She in fact was unable to offer us any
produce at all this week. Hepworth Farms in Milton, NY expected rain on Wednesday. "There wasn't much rain, just enough to let the dust settle and make
the weeds grow, but not enough to help", said Amy Hepworth.
LATE BREAKING NEWS!!
Our supplier expecting the influx of New Zealand apples is not receiving the amounts we hoped for. So Fuji from Chili is all we will be offering until further notice.
Despite all of their hardships, our local farmers came through for us with 121 local items this week.
Allen Zimmerman - Produce Buyer - General Coordinator
