Hello everyone! We hope that you are doing well after this first big snowfall for the
season … it’s time to get out the skis and sleds for winter fun! We also wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, with fun times spent with your near and dear ones.
season … it’s time to get out the skis and sleds for winter fun! We also wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, with fun times spent with your near and dear ones.
Pathfinder Produce will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22,
so that our market staff … members and staff of our Adult Day Services program, may spend the day with their families. Our online ordering will also be closed this week, and will open again on November 23. But then we'll open again the next Thursday at the Village Commons with the freshest fruits and veggies around, on November 29, from noon to 5 p.m.
so that our market staff … members and staff of our Adult Day Services program, may spend the day with their families. Our online ordering will also be closed this week, and will open again on November 23. But then we'll open again the next Thursday at the Village Commons with the freshest fruits and veggies around, on November 29, from noon to 5 p.m.
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Where We Get our Food
At Pathfinder Produce, we work with regional fresh produce vendors that offer many insights through the year to customers on various fruit and veggie crops, as well as the impacts that growing regions may be experiencing through weather patterns, natural disasters, and other factors. The emails that we receive from our food industry partners underscore how all our commercially sourced foods are global.
Any walk through a large grocery store will bear this out: That bag of frozen broccoli florets may have been grown in Guatemala, your red grapes may have come from Chile, and the green peppers may have been grown hydroponically in Ontario. There are many workers who have planted, tended, harvested, processed and shipped fresh produce on its trip from the field to your refrigerator. There are many logistical decisions that happen along each step to ensure that food arrives at your table at the peak of its flavor.
As I thought about this recently, I wondered how the California wildfires are impacting our food supply; it appears from some cursory research that the Camp Fire is to the north of major growing regions. However, drifting smoke from the fires is a concern for farmers in the Central Valley, as the air quality can affect growing conditions to the south. For example, grapes actually absorb smoke from the air, taking on a smoky flavor. Wine grape growers are concerned and may face serious losses from ongoing fires.
Each year, as the seasons change, another step in the process is how growers move their operations between California and other areas to keep production humming. For lettuce growers, this shift has just occurred, with entire processing plants being packed up and shifted between Salinas and Yuma, Arizona. (I liken this to the changing of pasture lands for nomadic shepherds in ancient times). There are several interesting videos to watch online, which really makes you realize the scope of some of these farming operations.
Until next time, enjoy time with your loved ones and give thanks for your blessings. Everyone at Pathfinder Produce extends our deep gratitude to all who support our friendly neighborhood market, which is “rooted in community.”
Lori
