The “Dirty Dozen: pesticides in your beloved blueberries

The “Dirty Dozen”
The “Dirty Dozen” is an annual list of fruits and vegetables from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) likely to contain the highest levels of pesticides. The list often includes non-organic blueberries since they are a beloved fruit.
Continue reading →Why are Blueberries Purple, Not Blue?

Blueberries’ Actual Color
While blueberries are commonly referred to as “blue,” their actual color is a deep purple. The reason they appear blue is due to the unique way in which our eyes perceive color.
Continue reading →Ten Most Popular American Apples

Here are the ten most popular apple varieties in the United States: Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jonagold, and Rome.
Continue reading →George and Cherries

Besides chopping down a cherry tree and not telling a lie, our first president did like cherries.
Continue reading →Abe and Apples

Since President’s day is coming up, we’re celebrating Abraham Lincoln. Abe was a self-made man who became a rural attorney and eventually President. Then he went on to lead the nation through the Civil War. All the while he was doing this, he ate apples.
Continue reading →What Goes Into the Process of Freeze-Drying?

Three Processes
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization, involves three processes: freezing, primary drying (sublimation), and secondary drying (desorption).
Continue reading →What US State Grows the Most Apples?

Washington state grows the most apples of all the states in the US.
Even when Bill and I visit our daughter in New Orleans, we see Washington apples in the grocery stores.
Continue reading →What are the Health Benefits of Organic Fruits?

The health benefits of organic fruits are so vast that once fully considered, everyone should purchase only certified organic fruits. Our bodies, communities, and earth need the nutritional profile that only organic land stewardship can produce. Concerns about synthetic pesticide and herbicide residues, genetically modified organisms, toxic water runoff from inefficient irrigation systems and excessive synthetic fertilizer applications, bee and beneficial insect collapse, soil erosion and deterioration, and toxic chemical uptake in root systems from contaminated soil are all reasons to choose certified organic fruits.
Continue reading →Blueberry Dutch Baby with Lemon Curd

Now that you have fresh organic blueberries, a Dutch baby is a delicious choice for enjoying those berries.
Continue reading →Salmon-Safe Certification

Meet Phil Simmons, our horticulturist. He brings a lot of passion for organic farming to the job and, along with it, our Salmon Safe Certification. This aspect of his love is soil and water conservation.
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