The broccoli project
Stephanie Klein-Davis l The Roanoke Times
In case you missed it, I wrote a story for Sunday’s Extra section about an interesting experiment being conducted in five locations up and down the East Coast. The purpose of this project is to find varieties of broccoli that can be grown well here, so we can start buying more local broccoli. Grocery store broccoli is an average of 10 days old by the time it is harvested and shipped from the West Coast.
I was pretty fascinated by what I was learning as I reported this story. There is so much behind-the-scenes research that goes into something as simple as what we pick up in the grocery store.
It is also interesting from a local food perspective. The farmers will be producing this broccoli in quantities far larger than what farmers market vendors and other mid-size or small-scale farmers can produce, and it isn’t organic, but it is going to be a whole lot fresher than most grocery store broccoli is today. And it could mean at least $100 million for East Coast farmers.
If you read the story, did you have any thoughts?
August 8, 2011 - 9:52 AM
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I hope they find a broccoli that will work. Not only would it be cheaper because of transportation, the quality should be better. As they experiment, what happens with what they grow?
Well, a lot of what they grow is going to University of Tennessee for nutritional analysis, David. The leftovers, I think, could be sold by the farmer or just eaten by the farmer or his livestock.
I should clarify that anything they grow that turns out yellow-looking or the beads start to open and get cat’s eye, etc. isn’t marketable anyway. That’s the best stuff to throw to the piggies. Some plant matter is tilled back into the soil.
This story highlights a perfect example of why big government is good. Without big government, this project would never get off the ground. With the proper application of public and private resources, many hard-working Virginia farmers are likely to earn significantly more income in the coming years by producing a crop which, in its goodness, rivals the badness of tobacco.
Lindsey. Love your blog. Hats off at your effort to stay on top of the best thing ever, food. Local is not always better. You can bet, they will charge the same high price, as the supermarkets. Look at the market downtown. Same or higher, tomatoes, etc. Well, you know now how some of us feel, about the locals. Thieves.
Hi Lindsey! I’ve been buying broccoli at the Salem Farmer’s Market since late spring. Leighton Hodges of Catawba Valley Farms has had small amounts of it almost weekly. It’s been both delicious and inexpensive! To me, local IS better! I’ve also been buying some of the best corn, peaches, tomatoes, and more at the Salem Market! Fresh from the farm, supporting local farmers, and getting great food at great prices!
Johnny, thank you for the kind words about the blog. I do think that if you compare prices between farmers markets and supermarkets, you will be surprised to find that some things are less expensive at the farmers market. Particularly in the spring and summer when a lot of produce is in season here in Virginia. You aren’t going to find cheap meat at farmers markets because it costs too much for small farmers to produce meat.