Okay, ya’ll, I am about to get a little more controversial than the preferred preparation of asparagus. This is where Sam Loves the Market makes a stand on the current state of agriculture and the customer's relationship to the food they buy and the people they buy it from.
“Are you organic?” is a question I hear often at the market. Customers believe they are asking the “right” question, trusting in this one blanket question to cover an incredibly nuanced topic. I watch them walk away from incredible produce as farmers respond, “Well, we’re not certified, but we grow using organic practices.” As if the certification alone holds the power of bestowing what’s “good.” This process breaks my heart every time. It’s unfortunate for both the farmer and the customer.
To be clear, it’s certainly not the wrong question. It’s just that it shouldn’t be the only question. There’s so much more to it. And we should take the time to listen to the answer, even if it’s not what we were expecting. There is no right or wrong answer to this topic. Over the next couple of months (sprinkled into the articles on seasonality we know and love), we are going to explore this topic more deeply from different perspectives: conventional growers, not certified but practicing organic, some certified organic farmers who love the process & some who don’t, etc. This will hopefully encourage you, as the reader, to find your own north star on the topic.
Last year, I came across an essay written by Andy Mariani of the world-famous ANDY’S ORCHARD. You know, that farm that has a line around the block every Wednesday through summer, whose stonefruit is as close to godliness as your tastebuds can get. I consider Andy’s point of view to be balanced, informed, and well-reasoned, on the matter of “The organic question,” as he calls it. I reached out to Andy to see if I could share it with you all, he agreed on the condition that he be able to update the essay for you first. So without further ado….
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