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News From Your Produce Team!by Gayle Anderson Wow! I can't believe it's November already. For six months now we've been going to the farmers' market and bringing back locally grown produce. First it was plants, then it was fresh fruits and veggies. Now summer's over, the plants are frost-bitten, and the last harvest is in of cabbage and apples. All summer long we were way too busy to write articles. But a couple of things have changed that give us more time upstairs on the computer. One is the market winding down. The other is me- ripping my Achilles' tendon, so I have to sit! Luckily, I have the greatest staff ever, who are holding everything together while I recuperate. Many thanks to Lorilee, Nina, Abe, Karl, Mike, Dom and especially Jamie, my new chief assistant. One special project we've been working on is complying with the new National Organic Standards. Finally the definition of "organic" is the same all across the country. Many organic handling procedures are ones we've been practicing for years and years (separate sinks for organic and commercial prepping, no stacking non-organic on top of organic) while some are newly strict (separate knives and shelves!) Something we've been happy to receive in the past is people's organic garden produce. Next year we'll have to call it "garden grown" or something, because we can't call it "organic" without third party verification. Organic or not, at the end of this month let's sit down at our tables and give thanks for all the locally grown food we've enjoyed this season. Say a prayer for the Hudson Valley apple growers who lost half (Knight Orchards) to all (Samascott) of their crop this year. Samascott Orchard is actually buying apples from other orchards to make their cider. We've been carrying their cider-fresh, unpasteurized, no preservatives- as long as I can remember! Here's a list of some of the farms and farmers who supplied Honest Weight this year-a hearty "Thank you" to all of you! Organic Vegetables
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