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Home » Travel » A Closer Look at Organic Food and Earthbound Farm {#ExperienceEarthbound}

A Closer Look at Organic Food and Earthbound Farm {#ExperienceEarthbound}

October 29, 2014 by Faith 16 Comments

Thank you to Earthbound Farm for sponsoring this post. I am happy for the opportunity to share brands that I believe in with my readers, especially when those brands are as passionate about what they do as the people at Earthbound Farm are. I hope you enjoy this inside peek at that incredible company.

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Like so many things, the way we eat changes along with society. Trends come and go, and then come full circle again as we realize that the way people ate 100 years ago actually was the healthiest way to go.

Back then people grew much of what they ate (or knew the person grew it), veggies were dietary staples (and I don’t mean French fries), and there was no need to be concerned about organic anything because everything was organic. (According to The Organics Institute, all agriculture was generally organic until the 1920’s.)

Today, we’re going back to basics with what we want. We’re adding more vegetables back into our diets, we’re asking for wholesome foods that aren’t laced with chemicals to feed our families with, and we’re getting to know our farmers.

Speaking of getting to know our farmers, you’ve probably heard of Earthbound Farm; they’re the people who first successfully launched prewashed, packaged salad for retail sale back in the ‘80’s. Recently, I had the opportunity to head to California with a small group of incredibly talented bloggers (Carrie of Deliciously Organic, Jennifer of Skinny Chef, Tess of The Blender Girl, and Stacie of One Hungry Mama) to meet the people from Earthbound Farm and tour their farms. I’d like to give you a closer look at what they’re all about.

So, here’s the story in a nutshell…Earthbound Farm founders Drew and Myra Goodman were born and raised in Manhattan and moved to Carmel Valley, CA in 1984. They started farming on a 2 1/2-acre raspberry farm and Earthbound Farm has grown by leaps and bounds since then (with nearly 48,000 acres farmed organically, they’re now one of the largest growers of organic produce in the world!). Even though the Goodmans no longer own Earthbound Farm, they are still advisors and one thing has remained constant: their dedication to farming that pristine land organically, and growing food they’d eat themselves and be happy feeding their loved ones with.

I’m pleased to say, they are incredibly gracious hosts, which I found out when we had the opportunity to have dinner with Myra on the first evening of our trip. Not only is she a pleasure to talk to and a wealth of information, but she’s approachable. You can talk to her about anything and everything and she’ll make you feel comfortable. Her passion for good, honest food and treating the land in such a way that helps protect it for future generations truly shines through. (Side Note: Along those lines, did you know that Earthbound Farm makes their clamshell packaging from post-consumer recycled plastic water bottles and in doing so, uses less than half of the energy and creates half of the carbon emissions than using virgin plastic? Plus, they’ve planted more than 740,000 trees to offset those carbon emissions. Pretty amazing.)

The first night at Earthbound Farm, we had a mind-blowing meal at the Farm Stand in Carmel Valley, which was prepared by Earthbound Farm’s Executive Chef Sarah LaCasse. Her innovative, fresh approach to food is inspiring and she works some real magic with veggies. (I am dying to recreate her Indian-Spiced Cauliflower with Power Greens and French Lentils at home! BTW, Carrie shared her version of this dish here and Stacie shared her version of it here, and they both look pretty fantastic.) And Sarah’s Coconut, Almond, and Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies? To die for. Those cookies were the stuff dreams are made of (luckily for all of us, the recipe is in the Straight From the Earth cookbook!).

I immediately fell in love with the Farm Stand; let me just show you how gorgeous it is…

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The next day we braved the rain (which was a welcome blessing, actually, because California is in drought!) and toured the farms in the morning.

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Before I show you more of the farms, let me first introduce you to Earthbound Farm Partner and Farmer Stan Pura. This guy is amazing; he knows his stuff and he loves what he does. Stan is an open book, ready and willing to answer questions.

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First we went to a baby greens farm and got to see a baby spinach harvest. We were told that this was a bit unusual because a harvest like this would normally happen at night when temps are cooler to ensure that the product’s shelf life is as long as possible (the shelf life is about 15 to 18 days!). Just a little bit about spinach: it has a 28 day average growing season (as short as 21 days if it’s hotter than normal and up to 45 days if it’s colder), and after it’s harvested, it’s in the market in 2 days.

This is the machine (designed by Stan) that is used to harvest the baby lettuces…

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And here it is in action…

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Look at those pretty little leaves! Don’t you just want to reach and in grab a handful to munch on?

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At the second farm we saw a broccolette harvest.

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If you’ve never had broccolette or you’re wondering what it is, it’s a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale with a subtle sweetness and flavor similar to asparagus. (Yeah, it’s yummy.)

What really impressed me though, was how the product is harvested and packaged on a machine right in the field; after that it’s literally ready to be sent out…

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We also stopped at a romaine farm and Stan kindly plucked a couple heads of romaine and let us sample the leaves. I didn’t snap a picture with my regular camera, but I did have time for a quick iPhone pic; to see the freshest, most delicious lettuce (like, ever) check out my pic on Instagram.

If you’re not big into salads (and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be, but hey, I’m not here to judge…we can still be friends), that lettuce would have changed your mind in a New York minute. I could not get over how sweet its flavor was! You know how when you’re parched, water tastes like the best thing in the whole entire world? Well, it’s like I was parched for lettuce my whole life (yeah, and had no idea), and then I tried that lettuce and was finally sated.

I know there is sometimes confusion about what organic actually means and why it’s actually better than non-organic.

From the Earthbound Farm website, here’s what organic actually means:

  • No synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fumigants
  • No fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge
  • No genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
  • No irradiation
  • No hormones, antibiotics, artificial ingredients or trans fats

And here’s why organic is better:

  • It prevents us from ingesting the chemicals that can be found in non-organic produce
  • It’s safer for the farmers who don’t have to be around those chemicals
  • It’s better for the environment because organic farmers work with nature instead of against it; they use techniques that build healthy soil and incorporate environmentally friendly alternatives to the toxic synthetic chemicals used in conventional agriculture
  • It tastes better (Full disclosure: That right there is my honest opinion – try it for yourself!)

We all know organic usually costs more; for the same amount of product, sometimes it’s the difference of just a couple cents, or sometimes it can be nearly double the cost. That’s because it costs more money to utilize farming practices that are better for us and our planet (remember, organic fertilizer alone costs twice as much as traditional fertilizer!). My goal is to help give you the information you need to make an educated decision; in the end, it’s a very personal choice that you’ll have to make for you and your family.

Personally, I’m grateful to companies like Earthbound Farm who give us great products with integrity.

Disclosure: Earthbound Farm sponsored this post and I traveled as their guest; they were an amazing, passionate bunch of people and I want to thank them for their hospitality. As always, opinions stated are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged: #ExperienceEarthbound, Baby Spinach, Broccolette, Drew and Myra Goodman, Earthbound Farm, Farm Photos, Farm Stand, Organic, Pumpkins, Stan Pura, What does organic really mean

Comments

  1. Erik says

    January 15, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    Hi Faith, what are your thoughts about Earthbound Farm Organic being against GMO labeling? They were sold out to Whitewave for $600 million in December 2013. Whitewave is a spin-off of Dean Foods, which is known for using GMO sourced seeds. Take a look at this link with an image about Measure 92 and Prop 105: http://www.cornucopia.org/gmo-labeling-right-to-know/

    Reply
    • Faith says

      January 20, 2016 at 5:56 pm

      Erik – Thanks so much for your comment! As a consumer who also likes to know where her food is coming from, I took your question directly to Earthbound Farm; this is the response I received from Samantha Cabaluna, a long-time employee of Earthbound Farm:

      “I always validate people’s desire to buy food that aligns with their values since that is what will ultimately change our food system. But I want to clarify a few things.

      Earthbound Farm is and always has been in favor of GMO labeling. We believe the consumer has the right to know what’s in their food, where it’s produced, and how it’s produced. WhiteWave Foods is completely independent of Dean Foods and is also a strong supporter of GMO labeling through Just Label It, the campaign for a mandatory national GMO labeling law. Please note that the Cornucopia chart does not say that Earthbound Farm or other WhiteWave brands directly contributed to the fight again the Oregon and Colorado initiatives. What it says is that because WhiteWave is a member of the GMA (which did support the opposition to those initiatives), we are guilty by association. It’s important to know that while WhiteWave is a member of the GMA trade association, we have an agreement with them that none of our dues are to be used to oppose GMO labeling because we don’t believe in it. Companies are members of trade associations for many reasons and often don’t agree with every position the trade association takes.

      With regard to Earthbound Farm, I always let people know that I’ve been here at Earthbound for 13 years, through a variety of ownership changes. And we’re the same organic farms, the same organic farmers, and the same organic food as we were in December 2013, before we became part of WhiteWave. I hope that people judge us by our actions and not by fears of what might be.”

      Reply
      • Erik says

        January 21, 2016 at 1:33 am

        Thank you for forwarding the response from the employee!

        Reply
  2. Aunt Peg says

    October 31, 2014 at 8:05 am

    What a great account of an amazing place! Who WOULDN’T want to go full organic after seeing those beautiful veggies from such a wonderful place?

    Reply
  3. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says

    October 30, 2014 at 9:04 pm

    What a great trip! It looks gorgeous, and I can’t imagine how much you learned!

    Reply
  4. Liz says

    October 30, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    What a heavenly experience, Faith! Now I’m dying to try broccolette…I’m such a fan of Earthbound Farm’s wonderful produce!

    Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    October 30, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    This is so awesome, I love them!

    Reply
  6. Jenn @ Deliciously Sprinkled says

    October 30, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    What an awesome trip and I LOVE their products! :)

    Reply
  7. Lynn Lovejoy @ Order in the Kitchen says

    October 30, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    I LOVE their products!! That experience with them looks amazing though! You did a wonderful job with those photos!

    Reply
  8. Julia says

    October 30, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    What an incredible experience! It’s so amazing seeing the process of our food being grown and harvested. I use Earthbound Oganics all the time in my salads and absolutely love their stuff. It was so nice reading about their company and seeing your gorgeous pictures of the farm. Thanks for a wonderful intro to Earthbound, lady!

    Reply
  9. Jo-Lynne Shane says

    October 30, 2014 at 7:57 am

    I already loved this brand. Now I love it even more!! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

    Reply
  10. Debbie Spivey says

    October 30, 2014 at 7:11 am

    What a great opportunity for you. I love your photography, Faith. You really captured the farm and brought it straight us. I so enjoy your blog!

    Reply
  11. Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says

    October 30, 2014 at 6:35 am

    What a fun trip Faith – love all the pictures. I’m a fan of Earthbound Farm and enjoy all their offerings.

    Reply
  12. Katerina says

    October 30, 2014 at 3:33 am

    Such beautiful photos Faith and I am sure you’ve learned so many things during your trip!

    Reply
  13. Christina @ but i'm hungry says

    October 29, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    Sounds like a really cool trip! And I love the pics… every time I pic up a box of baby lettuce, I wonder how they pic all those tiny leaves without destroying them. So neat to see. We love Earthbound Farm, too… we always have a box of salad and a box of spinach in our fridge. :)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. In praise of big organic: Myra Goodman at TEDxManhattan - Green Eating And LivingGreen Eating And Living says:
    December 28, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    […] that share her passion for delicious food and a healthy planet: Food to Live By &#8212. The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook. The Earthbound Cook &#8212. 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a Healthy Planet. […]

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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