PEOPLE’S GROCERY FARM BLOG

Holy Greens

Think twice before pushing aside that bunch of greens with the holes in it for the picture perfect bunch. Research has shown that plants that have been put under enivronmental stress such insect damage or weed competition respond by producing phenolic compounds known as Flavanoids, which play out to us as cancer fighting Antioxidants. Think this is just a farmer’s tale, think again:

“If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to defend
itself,” says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University of

California, Davis, and lead author of the paper. “Bitter or harsh phenolics

guard the plant against these pests…This helps explain why
the level of antioxidants is so much higher in organically grown food…By

synthetically protecting the produce from these pests, weed increase their need

to produce antioxidants. It suggests that maybe we are
doing something to our food inadvertently.”

People’s Produce at this time of each year is packed full of nature’s bounties, including anti-oxidants. We have strong flea and cucumber beetle pressure this time of year that attack our mustard and collard greens, but now we know it is all part of providing the must healthy, organic, just food as possible. Do yourself and an organic farmer a favour and request “the holy greens!”

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/polyphenolics

The farm is moving right along. Our springs crops are coming in and our Okra and summer crops are up and running. We are getting ready to plant our second round of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants next week. Today we planted our second round of tomatillos, hopefully we are not going to see damage by flea beetles and cucumbers like our first round saw.

Next week will launch our Grub Box, a low-income adapted CSA model for West Oakland. Want to volunteer at the farm. Holler at us at max@peoplesgrocery.org