CSA week 14

The Last Share

Thank you for another farming season soon to be in the rearview.

I was in the Albany town forest today harvesting our cooperative sweet potatoes. Kyle was home on what we call “Joni” duty and managed to sneak in this newsletter during her thankfully lengthy mid day nap. Photos from the sweet potato field.

Earlier this year, a large study out of a university in Mexico was published studying the level of bioactive compounds in organic produce vs. conventionally grown produce. Bioactive compounds exist in plants and help to aid plants in fending off pests and diseases. When we consume these plants, or the animals that eat these plants, we ingest the compounds ourselves. The bioactives then work to help us fend off disease, inflammation, infections, and cognitive decline. Bioactive compounds are quickly becoming very important to those researching the effects of food and health, particularly caner.

It’s been found that a plant undergoing stress from pests and/or disease will produce more of these bioactive compounds than a plant that is not experiencing stress. The argument in favor of organic produce containing higher levels of bioactive compounds is that organic plants, which are free of pesticides and herbicides, are exposed to higher levels of natural stress from bugs and disease. The higher levels of stress cause the plant to produce more bioactive compounds. The argument in favor of produce grown conventionally is that the chemical fertilizers used actually put stress on the plants because of their concentrations/application methods. Studies in the past have been fairly inconclusive, but also not as comprehensive as this recent study.

The study out of Mexico specifically studied raspberries due to their naturally high levels of certain bioactive compounds, and concludes, “The content of total bioactive compounds and the activity of the enzymes CAT, SOD, APX, GPX, and PAL were considerably superior in organic management, changing significantly during the maturation process. In general, in organic raspberry, as the maturity stage advanced, the sum phenolic compounds increased as well as the activity of the antioxidant enzymes CAT, APX, and GPX. Ripe raspberries with organic fertilization were characterized by the synthesis a higher content of ellagic acid, as well as presenting higher activity of SOD and PAL, and greater antioxidant capacity. ”

Here is a link to the full text published in the foods journal: Foods | Free Full-Text | Quality, Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, and Enzymes of Raspberries at Different Maturity Stages, Effects of Organic vs. Conventional Fertilization (mdpi.com)

In this week’s share:

Beets

Leeks

Rutabaga

Honey Nut Winter Squash

Another type of winter squash, likely choice here.

Carrots

Romaine Lettuce