Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Samascott Orchards
Harvested: Late April 2013

|Learn|
Asparagus was used in recipes dating as far back as third-century AD, and many societies identified ways of preserving it for consumption during colder seasons.

|Cultivate|
Asparagus is a perennial and one of the earliest producing spring vegetables. It can be easily grown from the crowns or roots and can take up to 3 to 4 years before a mature plant is established for harvesting - but it can be harvested for years after planting once mature. A fully grown plant can resemble a fern with thin spears. It is unique in that it can tolerate broad temperature variations; it grows in the Imperial Valley of Southern California, where temperatures can reach 115° F, and it grows in Minnesota, where temperatures can plunge to -40° F.* In the northeast they are generally harvested from late March through June.

|Taste|
Aspargus spears should be tender and sweet. This is the best way to tell they are freshly harvested.

|Identify|
There are hundreds of varieties, but often asparagus has smooth stalks with compact crowns and can come in colors like white, green and purple. Spears can range in size based on the time they are harvested.

|Prepare|
Only young asparagus shoots are eaten since once the buds of the plant start to open, the shoots quickly turn woody. Prep is easy: just trim off the bottoms of the spears. Then, enjoy them raw, fried, blanched, or simply roasted. Throwing them on the grill is also encouraged.

|Discover|
You can find Samascott Orchard’s Asparagus this week at Greene Grape Provisions in Brooklyn.

A growing coalition of producers are beginning to sign up around the country to participate in Plovgh routes. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to join up, get in touch with us and we can let you know about routes that are being activated near you. Acorn Hill Farm - Walker Valley, NY

Adirondack Grazers Cooperative - New York/Vermont

Aqua Vita Farms - Sherrill, NY

Black Horse Farm - Athens, NY

Campanelli’s Poultry Farm - Kenoza Lake, NY

Catskill Native Nursery - Kerhonkson, NY

Cowbella - Jefferson, NY

Ferndale Farms - Cannon Falls, MN

Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, NY

Glebocki Farms - Goshen, NY

Good Fence Farm - Ft. Edward, NY

Hand Picked Farm - Flemington, NJ

Laughing Loon Farm - Northfield, MN

Lucky Dog Farm - Hamden, NY

Oasis Valley Orchard - Overton, NV

Rusty Plough Farm - Ellenville, NY

Samascott Orchards - Kinderhook, NY

Seeds Farm - Northfield, MN

Slow Roots Farm - Kingston, NY

Sprout Creek Farm - Poughkeepsie, NY

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Good Fence Farm
Harvested: Early May 2013

When it comes to rhubarb it seems that people either love it or hate it. It struggles with its self-identity; vegetable or fruit? Sweet or savory? And though this spring has been slow to arrive, pushing the anticipated harvest time back a few weeks, we’re happy to say that time is here.

|Learn|
The Chinese have used rhubarb as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Its presence in Europe was established when it was imported along the Silk Road. (A historical form of trade we are fans of here at Plovgh.)

|Cultivate|
Rhubarb is a seasonal plant that can grow in many areas. In temperate climates it is one of the first food plants ready to be harvested, usually around April/May in the Northern Hemisphere and October/November in the Southern Hemisphere. Ready-to-harvest, mature rhubarb can be pulled from the plant with a gentle tug. Stalks should not be harvested during the first growing season to allow the plant to become established, and after the first 3 years the harvesting period runs approximately 8-10 weeks long.

|Taste|
Freshly harvested, raw stalks are crisp and have a tart flavor. Red rhubarb varieties such as ‘Valentine’ and ‘Crimson Cherry’ tend to be more tender.

|Identify|
Rhubarb has short, thick roots, large leaves and long, fleshy stalks. The stalks of a rhubarb plant are usually a crimson red, but can vary from deep reds and pinks to pale green.

|Prepare|
Quite often, rhubarb is used in bakes goods such as crisps, pies and tarts. You can also preserve it as jams or by pickling. Or, use it in your new favorite cocktail.
Note: Be sure to only eat the stalks, as the leaves of a rhubarb plant contain poisonous toxins.

Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Lucky Dog Farm

Harvested: May 2013

The ramp, also known as the wild leek, is the alliums’ herald of spring. It is a fleeting introduction to a new season and a foraged onion that has the ability to throw people into a frenzy.

Wild ramps have close ties with the folklore of the central Appalachian Mountains. In the region, they have long celebrated spring with the arrival of the ramp, believing it to have great power as a tonic used to ward off the ailments of winter.

Ramps are members of the lily family and a perennial plant. They grow in groups strongly rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. They don’t take well to traditional farming, but grow wildly as far north as Quebec, as far south as Georgia, and as far west as Oklahoma.

Ramps have a peppery taste and a pungent aroma that is a mix of onions and garlic.

Ramps have broad, smooth, light green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems, and a scallion-like stalk and bulb. Both the white lower leaf stalks and the broad green leaves are edible.

Ramps can be sauteed, grilled, baked, pureed or pickled. We like ours sauteed with butter, chopped and served with eggs.

Ah, the food system. It’s a mess, huh? Seems like farms, trucking companies, commodity brokers, even retailers that get to gargantuan scale really muck things up for everyone else. That’s why we’re excited to bring small businesses like Matthew Clancy’s into the Plovgh network. Have a look at this local transporter who got your crops into your neighborhood this week.

Transporter’s name: Matthew J. Clancy, Clancy’s Transportation Solutions

Homebase: Rotterdam Junction, New York

Years in operation: We are a newly formed business.

What do you drive? 2010 Chevrolet Express van.

What do you do? We offer the best solution to people and businesses that need something moved across town or across country. We provide our clients with a low cost alternative to the big name companies (emphasis added) with the care only a family owned small business can offer!

Why did you start this business? What’s unique or compelling about how you operate? I started this business to find a more fulfilling way to provide for my family’s quality of life. After years of working for the State of New York as a manager, the time spent away from my wife and children coupled with the fact that I felt uninspired by my work led me to leave it behind in order to focus on making Clancy’s Transportation Solutions (CTS) a success. CTS is a family owned and operated small business aimed at helping our local community and beyond. We are focused on providing custom transportation solutions to our clients that result in the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

Welcome, Matthew! The maiden voyage was a success and we look forward to many more.

Producer Profile: Stone & Thistle Farm

Location: East Meredith, NY 

Years in operation: 20 years

“With Thanksgiving fast approaching and stomachs growling for some homecookin’, we made a special trip upstate to talk turkey with Farmer Ryan of Fitzgerald Farms who provided Plovgh members with fresh birds this holiday season. 

After the two-and-a-half hour drive, we arrived at High Falls Co-Op where Ryan works four days a week when not tending to his poultry. He greeted us downstairs among the spices and shelves, and brought us out to his truck where the turkeys were kept cool.

“Turkeys are a big investment,” he told us as he loaded the plump birds into our car. While chickens typically need eight weeks to mature, turkeys require five and a half months. This holiday has been a long time coming for Ryan and his fellow farmers, and lucky for him, he sold over 500 turkeys this year.

Ryan grew up around chickens and is vehemently a poultry-over-produce kind of guy. “After seeing the work that went into growing vegetables, I thought it was too hard,” he confessed. Well, that’s alright with us – his fresh eggs and birds convince us that he made the right choice.

Once the coolers were filled to brim with turkeys, he wished us a “Happy Thanksgiving” and we were off for the city; Over the river and through the woods to bring you a fresh alternative this turkey day.”

Below is a snapshot of where Plovgh members are beginning to organize. Do you see your neighborhood or city or borough on the map? No? Well, here’s where to get started.

We’re stoked to be heading to Austin tomorrow for SXSW Eco. If you’ll be there for the conference you can check us out at the Startup Showcase. For those of you not able to make it you can follow us along on Instagram or Twitter. There will also be speakers and keynotes streaming live here or you can get updates via the Twitter hashtag #SXSWEco.

A Closer Look: Startup Showcase Semifinalist Plovgh

An Internet startup, Plovgh rethinks commerce by reorganizing the relationship between producers and consumers. This hyperlocal digital exchange and distribution network for independent farmers eliminates intermediaries, earning producers higher margins and making the direct purchase of goods from farms simple, affordable and convenient.

Headed by founder Elizabeth McVay Greene (BA, Columbia University; MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management), the company recently completed a pilot in Brooklyn that generated revenue and new customers for participating farms, and got thousands of people involved. Where’s Plovgh headed next? Mumbai, Lima, New Orleans and down the street from you! In five years, Plovgh will be hyperlocal commerce with a global scope.

Don’t miss them at the SXSW Eco Startup Showcase.

Also, in case you missed it, we put together a preview of some of the talks and panels we’re looking forward to this week which you can check out here.

Farm assurance can come in different forms with varying guidelines and fundamentals. What seems to remain constant among farms applying for certification is that they often do so because it indicates that the crops, livestock and other agricultural products they grow, raise or produce are done so in a manner that adheres to standards which imply a level of quality. In addition to quality management, certifications can also highlight principles of traceability, distribution, production and manufacturing methods, hygienic practices and the use of inputs.

Certification schemes can be based on trademarks or governmentally regulated standards, as well as provided through third party, independent agencies and organizations. Among the many recognized programs, the behemoth being the USDA governed National Organic Program, there are more than a dozen state departments of agriculture and over fifty private organizations that are accredited as organic certifiers. In addition there are non-profit and more product oriented programs such as Sustainable Seafood Certification, Protected Harvest, Rainforest Alliance, The Non-GMO Project, and many others.

National Organic Program 

The National Organic Program is a regulatory program conducted by the USDA and is one of the more publicly recognized labeling programs among the agricultural industry. The standards and guidelines presented by the NOP indicate that crops, livestock or other agricultural products have been approved under a verifying system that takes into account production and management processes “that promote the existing ecosystem and conserve biodiversity”. The NOP regulations adhere to standards relative to production and handling, labeling, certification and accreditation.  The program audits the use of inputs at the farm level and complies to guidelines that discredit production methods that involve synthetic fertilizers, irradiation and genetic engineering. The USDA accounts for the authorization of nearly 100 state appointed certifying agencies and the USDA Marketing Service maintains an open database of certifying agents and the operations they verify. Many third party, independent certifiers employ the NOP standards as a basic guideline to organic production, but there are many pundits who believe the USDA Organic label and the philosophies it represents have gone astray.

Certified Naturally Grown

CNG or Certified Naturally Grown is a recognized grassroots certification model that uses an approach to agriculture known as a Participatory Guarantee System. While other programs can require an exceeding amount of paperwork and certifying fees, this system is structured to minimize the barrier of entry by offering a peer-inspection process. CNG is organized around local networks of producers who use natural production methods (no synthetic inputs) and follow traditional organic practices. What sets CNG apart from the USDA organic process is that it is made up of and facilitated by the farmers who participate. The function of peer inspections can also help build a stronger community by creating opportunities for farmers to learn from each other, share techniques and develop support networks. You can find more information about their standards and a map of participating producers on their site.

Food Alliance

Food Alliance is a national non-profit that provides third party certification of sustainable farming and food processing operations. The organization aligns itself with standards that ensure “safe and fair working conditions, humane treatment of animals, and careful stewardship of ecosystems”. This voluntary certification program works with farmers, ranchers and food processers - most are mid-sized or smaller family owned enterprises - and today it has certified over 330 farms and ranches in Canada, Mexico and the United States. What distinguishes Food Alliance from the national organic program is that it looks at sustainable agriculture from a more comprehensive perspective and believes that to ensure a sustainable food system the industry must account for social and environmental strategies not simply the substitution of inputs. You can read more about their certification guidelines here.

NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC

NOFA-NY Certified Organic is an example of one of the many state level programs that provides organic certification for producers. Authorized by the USDA National Organic Program, this locally organized NOFA branch facilitates farm and processing inspections by trained verifiers. State run programs such as this are unique in that they work with more mid to small size farms and the staff is equipped with better regional knowledge.

Farmer’s Pledge

The Farmer’s Pledge is an alternative approach to certification that arose from an expressed need among producers to regain control of the term “organic” and what it stands for. Unlike traditional certification, the Pledge is a commitment made to customers and neighbors by certified or uncertified organic farmers that extends beyond the standards of the National Organic Program to include labor issues, community values and marketing approaches. First introduced in 2003, the pledge believes that “the heart of sustainable agriculture is in the integrity of the farmer.” The Farmer’s Pledge while not a substitution for organic certification is an effort by NOFA-NY to help people identify what farms they want to support and offer producers a way to communicate their practices with consumers.

Animal Welfare Approved

Animal Welfare Approved works only with family owned operations that raise their animals outdoors on pasture or range under humane conditions. Producers receive annual audits from AWA certifiers who oversee the animals’ lifecycle from birth to slaughter to ensure that the methods comply to stringent standards of good husbandry. Founded as a market-based solution to the growing interest in where our food is grown, raised and processed, the AWA program strives to offer transparency for consumers and a distinct way to identify the producers that raise their animals according to the highest welfare standards.

Slow Food

Slow Food is an internationally recognized grassroots movement that is made up of a huge network of supporters, members and localized chapters. Slow Food promotes the resurgence of regional food traditions and encourages people to seek out more information about the food they eat and its source. Supported by global and national advocacy as well as local projects and initiatives, the organization provides consumers with insight into real food access and raises public awareness about the importance of social, economic and environmental impacts on achieving a more sustainable food system. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity promotes products that follow organic certification standards and that are also ‘good, clean and fair.’

Cornucopia Institute

The Cornucopia Institute is a Wisconsin based non-profit that is devoted to increasing the awareness of the “family-scale” farming community and was established to offer greater transparency of organic standards and regulations. Through education, research and outreach the mission of the Cornucopia Institute is to provide consumers, farmers and the media with insight into organic policy and to protect “the integrity and meaning of the organic label”. As an alternative to the USDA’s organic accreditation program, the Cornucopia Institute developed a comprehensive rating system that provides scorecard ratings for products that carry a certified organic label.