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Farmer's Market and Organic Food
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson

Farmers' markets are usually held outdoors, in public spaces, where farmers can sell locally-grown and very fresh produce to the public featuring produce grown naturally or organically, meats that are raised humanely on pasture, handmade farmstead cheeses, eggs and poultry from free-range fowl, heirloom produce, and heritage breeds of meat and fowl. Farmers' markets help farmers stay in business as well as preserve natural resources. Farmers who sell direct to the public without going through a middle man get a better price. In the U.S., due in part to the increased interest in healthier foods, a greater desire to preserve local types of livestock, and an increased understanding of the importance of maintaining small, sustainable farms on the fringe of urban environments, farmers' markets have grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 5,274 in 2009. In the Los Angeles area, 88 farmers' markets exist, many of which support Hispanic and Asian fare. New markets appear regularly, and existing markets, some well over a century old, are seeing renewed growth in both North America and Europe.

One of Los Angeles' oldest garden traditions meets one of its newest sensations as Tapia Brothers Farm Stand hosts the largest of the Tomatomania! Seedling sales. To get there drive north on the 101N, pass the 405 fwy, exit at Hayvenhurst, turn right at the stop, then make a quick left into the parking lot. If driving south on the 101, exit at Balboa, turn left at the stoplight, go under the freeway and then turn right on Burbank Blvd. Turn right on Hayvenhurst, and right again into the parking lot. Open from 9AM-5PM, March 26-28, and plenty of parking available, they'll have almost 300 tomato varieties. Wear a Tomatomania! T-shirt and get 10% off any purchase! Tomatomania! is located at Tapia Brothers' Farm Stand, 5251 Hayvenhurst Ave. in Encino, for more information, call (818) 905.6155
The 2010 California Strawberry Festival is Saturday and Sunday, May 15, 16, 10:00am to 6:30pm, at Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 South Rose Avenue in Oxnard. Ranked among the top Festivals in the nation, the weekend celebration annually the third weekend in May offers a spectacle of strawberry fun for each and every one. Since 1984, Festival guests have enjoyed award-winning attractions, interactive exhibits, gooey contests, the hottest names in entertainment, the largest collection of Fine Arts & Crafts with 200+ booths, and an unbelievable assortment of delicious strawberry foods and beverages. The Strawberry Promenade offers cooking demonstrations and presentations, Strawberryland for Kids boasts free rides, puppet shows, and more. Adult admission = $12, seniors (62+) = $8, Youths (5-12) = $5, Active military and dependents with ID = $8, Children 4 and under are FREE.

Organic products typically cost 10 to 40% more than similar conventionally produced products. Processed organic foods vary in price when compared to their conventional counterparts. Prices may be higher because organic produce is produced on a smaller scale, and may need to be milled or processed separately. Furthermore, there is an increase in shipping costs from more centralized production in otherwise regional markets. In the case of dairy and eggs, the animal's requirements such as the number of animals that can be raised per acre, or the breed of animal and its feed conversion ratio affect the cost.

In April 2009, results from Quality Low Food Input (QLIF), a 5-year integrated study funded by the European Commission, confirmed that "the quality of crops and livestock products from organic and conventional farming systems differs considerably." Specifically, results from a QLIF project studying the effects of organic and low-input farming on crop and livestock nutritional quality "showed that organic food production methods resulted in: (a) higher levels of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., vitamins/antioxidants and poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 and CLA); (b) lower levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues and glyco-alkaloids in a range of crops and/or milk; (c) a lower risk of fecal Salmonella shedding in pigs." The QLIF study also concludes that "further and more detailed studies are required to provide proof for positive health impacts of organic diets on human and animal health."

Regarding taste, a 2001 study concluded that organic apples were sweeter by blind taste test. Firmness of the apples was also rated higher than those grown conventionally. Limited use of food preservatives may cause faster spoilage of organic foods. Such foods in the stores, on the other hand, are guaranteed of not having been stored for extended amounts of time, still being high in decaying nutrients that food preservatives fail to preserve. Organic food may also potentially have higher amounts of natural biotoxins, like solanine in potatoes, as to compensate for the lack of externally applied fungicides and herbicides etc. However, in current studies, there have been no indications of difference in amounts of natural biotoxins between organic and conventional foods.

Community Supported Agriculture generally focuses on the production of high quality foods for a local community, often using organic or biodynamic farming methods, and a shared risk membership/marketing structure. This kind of farming operates with a much greater than usual degree of involvement of consumers and other stakeholders, resulting in a stronger than usual consumer-producer relationship. The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund a whole season's budget in order to get quality foods. The system has many variations on how the farm budget is supported by the consumers and how the producers then deliver the foods. By CSA theory, the more a farm embraces whole-farm, whole-budget support, the more it can focus on quality and reduce the risk of food waste or financial loss.

Whole Foods Market is a food retailer of "natural" and organic products, including produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, beer, wine, cheese, whole body, floral, pet products, and household products. The company sells both organic and "conventionally grown" produce, and national brands. The company is consistently ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of Top 25 Green Power Partners.

Whole Foods can make a few items cost a hundred dollars. When cooking, food will taste bad if using bad ingredients. Local organic produce, unknown cheeses, new spices, hundreds of new beers, and that truffle pate' that Whole Foods offers will open up the floodgates on the grocery budget like there was no tomorrow. However, with a carefully planned shopping list, one can still get by with shopping at Whole Foods, just no more truffle pate' or expensive cheese. There is really no comparison to other similar supermarkets with an organic, local product appeal, such as Trader Joes. Golden beets, and a butternut squash, for example, are nowhere to be found at Joe's. Whole Foods is huge and can fit all the items Joe's can not.

Also, if interested in new and different local ingredients that the taste palate will find fascinating and novel, Whole Foods is great at getting many ethnic ingredients that could only be found in certain areas of the city.

For an American general population loaded with health problems but limited on health care, adopting a gluten-free diet is becoming an increasingly popular solution to alleviate complications from the numerous medical maladies associated with wheat and gluten consumption. As a result, the market for gluten-free food and beverage products grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28 percent from 2004 to 2008, to finish with almost $1.6 billion in retail sales last year, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the brand-new report, "The Gluten-Free Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Devel-opments World-wide, 2nd Edition."

Medical problems associated with gluten include autism, multiple sclerosis (MS), gluten allergy, various types of gluten-sensitivities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), repetitive strain or stress injury (RSI), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine known as celiac disease is the problem most notoriously associated with gluten consumption. The increased diagnosis of celiac disease has been a catalyst and driving force in the gluten-free food and beverage market, rescuing it from being generally regarded as a mere fad popular within the health-conscious populace.

California Certified Farmers' Markets are the "Real Thing," places where the farmers sell their crops directly to the public. Before a farmer can sell at a "Certified" Farmers' Market, the government checks to make sure that the farmer grows the produce the farmer is selling.

There are Certified Farmers' Markets (CFMs) going on throughout the Valley all year long. The Encino CFM takes place in Van Nuys at Victory and White Oak to White Oak and Louise, on Sundays 8am-1pm, all year. For more information, go to onegeneration.org. The Studio City CFM is located at Ventura place and Ventura blvd. on Sundays 8AM-1PM. For more information, call Carole Gallegos at (818) 655-7744.

The Woodman Avenue CFM is in Sherman Oaks in the Westfield Sherman Oaks Parking Lot on Tuesdays, from 3PM-8PM, open all year. For more information, go to pdmarkets.com. The Green market features organic produce, seasonal vegetables, fresh cheeses, herbs, mushrooms, free-range chicken, eggs, seafood, organic beef, honey, fresh baked bread and pastries. They also have live music, kid's activities and more.

The Northridge CFM is at the Northridge Fashion Mall on Wednesdays, from 5PM-9PM, March - November. This Farmers' Market is operated by the Farmers Markets of Channel Island Harbor Inc. For more information, call Mark Rochin at (805) 643-6458.

Check out the Kaiser Woodland Hills CFM at 5601 Desoto Ave. on Thursdays, 11AM-4PM, open all year. For more information call Howell Tumlin at (310) 455-0181. The Pierce Farm Center CFM in Woodland Hills is at the corner of Victory and Desoto on Thursdays, 5PM-9PM, April through September. For more information, call Lee Ostendorf at (562) 449-9299. The Van Nuys Farmers ' Market takes places at 14410 Sylvan St. Thursdays, 11AM-3PM, open all year, put on by the People in Progress. For more information, call Manny Hernandez at (818) 447-5191. The Burbank CFM is at 3rd and Orange Grove in the Parking lot behind City Hall on Saturdays, 8AM-1230PM, open all year. For more information, go to www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M4580.

The Calabasas CFM is at 23504 Calabasas Rd. on Saturdays, 8AM-1PM, open all year. For more information, go to rawinspiration.org. The Chatsworth Farmers' Market is at 20121 Devonshire St. on Saturdays, 9AM-2PM, open all year, put on by People in Progress. For more information, call Manny Hernandez at (818) 399-3767. The HVP CFM takes place in Woodland Hills at 5650 Shoup Ave. and Collins St., open Saturdays, 9AM-2PM, all year long. For more information, call Saibo Gumaneh at (818) 439-1520. Oxnard-Channel Islands CFM is at Channel Islands Blvd. and Harbor on Sundays, 10AM-2PM, opens all year. For more information, call Mark Rochin at (805) 643-6458. The Oxnard CFM is at 5th and C streets, in the Downtown Plaza Park, on Thursdays, 9AM-1PM, open all year. For more information, call Desiree Ventura at (805) 483-7960.

The Thousand Oaks CFM is at The Oaks Shopping Center, at Wilbur Rd. and Thousand Oaks Blvd. on Thursdays, 130PM-630PM, open all year. For more information, go to VCCFarmersmarkets.com. The Simi Valley CFM is in the Simi Valley Town Center Mall on Fridays, 3PM-730PM, March-November. For more information, call Mark Rochin at (805) 643-6458. The Camarillo Hospice CFM is at 2220 Ventura Blvd. on Saturdays, 8AM-1PM, open all year. For more information, go to camarillohospice.org. The Moorpark College Foundation CFM is at Moorpark College, in Parking lot G on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon, open all year. For more information go to Vccfarmersmarkets.com. The Newbury Park CFM is at 2500 Borchard Rd. on Saturdays, 9AM-2PM, open all year. For more information, call (323) 272-9171.

The Simi Valley Open Aire Market is at the St. Rose of Lima Church on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon, Open all year. For more information, call Manny Hernandez at (818) 447-5191. The Santa Clarita CFM is at the College of the Canyons, Lot 8, off Valencia Blvd. or Rockwell Cyn. Rd. on Sundays, 830AM-Noon, opens all year. For more information, go to VCCFarmersmarkets.com. The Newhall Old Town CFM is at 29222 San Fernando Rd. on Thursdays, 4PM-8PM, open all year. For more information, go to santa-clarita.com/arts/district/market. The North Hills CFM is at Nordhoff St. at Haskell Ave. on Saturdays, 8AM-1PM.

While organic food accounts for 1-2% of total food sales worldwide, the organic food market is growing rapidly, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. World organic food sales jumped from US $23 billion in 2002 to $52 billion in 2008. The world organic market has been growing by 20% a year since the early 1990s, with future growth estimates ranging from 10-50% annually depending on the country. Organic food is the fastest growing sector of the American food marketplace where organic food sales have grown by 17-20% a year for the past few years while conventional food sales have grown at only about 2-3% a year. In 2003, organic products were available in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and 73% of conventional grocery stores. Two thirds of organic milk and cream and half of organic cheese and yogurt are sold through conventional supermarkets.

Growing Green is made possible with budding awareness. The following is an overview of organizations and websites committed to helping the environment.

StopGlobalWarming.org; action, awareness, involvement. SaveOur-Environment.org ; action, awareness, involvement. Ideal-Bite.com; connect with environmentally friendly companies, greenhomeand-family.com; magazine focusing on reducing the carbon footprint, NRDC.org; The National Resources Defense Council: The Earth's Best Defense, sierraclub.org; explore, enjoy, and protect the planet, ACEEE.org; The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, afdc.doe.gov; The Alternative Fuels Data Center, ciel.org; Center for International Environmental Law: solving environmental problems, legally, greenpeace.org; save the planet, usgbc.org, U.S. Green Building Council: engineering with responsibility, seac.org, Student Environmental Action Coalition: uprooting environmental injustices through action and education, epa.gov; Environmental Protection Agency: protecting human health and the environment, bark-out.org; protecting national forests from eradication, cascadiaforestal-liance.org; working to inspire non-violent, grassroots involvement in regional forest protection, gracelinks.org; Global Resource Action Center for the Environment, ran.org; Rainforest Action Network: protecting tropical rainforests, sustlife.com; what is needed to live a healthier, more socially and environmentally sustainable life.

Live healthier, go visit a local farmers' market, eat more vegetables, and cook food for a better life today!

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