Help! My Greens Are Brown!

We have had a lot of questions over the last couple weeks about why the greens have been turning brown more quickly in the summer than in the winter. The short answer is heat.

Greens are out in a field under the hot sun until they’re picked. Once picked, a large commercial farm will immediately run the greens through either a hydro cooler, vacuum cooler, or a pressure cooler. Hydro coolers run produce through an icy cold bath and are commonly used for avocados and other stone fruits. This method isn’t great since it can leave you with water soaked and transparent leaves that have to be trimmed off. Vacuum coolers are perfect for greens, but can take more than five years for a high volume farm to pay off.

A pressure cooler is created by using a fork lift to place stacks of produce pallets in two rows on either of a large cooler fan. The pallets create a tunnel and are covered by a tarp to force the air from the fan through the tunnel. The pressurized cold air leaches any remaining sun heat out of the plants and temporarily stops the breakdown of the plants’ cells.

Small local farms don’t usually have access to these types of advanced and expensive cooling systems. They are a serious investment for such a low profit market and require a lot of open space to use that most small farms can’t really spare. Small farms usually use walk-in style coolers, which take a bit longer to remove the same amount of heat as the other types of coolers.

The time of day they are harvested impacts the amount of heat that is carried into the cooler. A one acre field of romaine lettuce harvested in the morning contains about the same amount of heat as 1/4th of an acre field harvested in the early afternoon. Another factor is how fast the greens are placed in the cooler after being picked. The longer the greens have to wait before going into the cooler, the less shelf life they will have.

Knowing the shelf life of your greens can help you plan which greens to use first when planning meals throughout the week. According to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), lettuce variety greens, like romaine, green & red leaf, or spinach, only last about one week in refrigerated storage. It is recommended to wash them before storing. Other varieties of greens, like collards, kale, and chard, only last between 2 – 4 days refrigerated before they start to develop spotting and it is recommended that you do not wash them before storing. So use the chard or kale right away and save the lettuce for later in the week.

There is also a great technique from Discovery Organics for extending the life of your greens that you can do right away. Immediately remove any brown or over-saturated leaves and trim the stem, so that it is freshly cut. Then, immerse the lettuce in bath temperature water for about one minute. Immediately immerse the lettuce into icy water following the warm water and leave for 2-3 minutes. Plants are made up of cells, just like we are, so this technique works similar to washing your face. The warm water opens all the pores on the leaves and allows them to suck in water. The cold water is quickly absorbed and causes the pores to seal in all that fresh cold water. Just make sure to dry any excess water off of your kales and chards before sticking them into the fridge.

Our newsletter is written for you, so feel free to let us know what interests you! I’m always happy to write articles regarding questions you might have or topics you’re interested in. ~ Rachel

California Produce Problems Continue

June in Los Angeles. 21 degrees Celsius with not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze coming off the ocean. The perfect weather for my trip this week, but the source of stress and worry amongst Californian farmers and ranchers. With a rainy season lasting only from December to March, residents have no relief in sight. Farmers react by planting less and less crops, leaving now over 800,000 acres (over 324,000 hectares) barren and empty. Previous estimates for this year’s growing season had only 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) left unplanted. 

These dry fields quickly suck up what little rain does fall and increase the risk of dust-bowl conditions. When the hot dry winds blow through the San Joaquin valley, whirlwinds kick up dust and cut a swath across the landscape. It isn’t anywhere close to the Dust Bowl conditions seen in the 1930s, where storms of dust clouds trapped people indoors and droves of farmers fled their homes with only what they could carry with them, but it certainly isn’t looking good  for the future either.

As if the drought conditions from lack of rain haven’t been bad enough, researchers have been looking at other factors to see what else may be impacting produce growth in California. While growing up, even during the hottest weeks of August, there was always a bank of fog covering the entire coastline in the early mornings. It burned off as the sun rose, but it made those early mornings in summer nice and cool. Fog was especially prevalent in the valleys during the late winter and early spring, where it would get trapped by the mountainous ridges on either side and create lower temperatures and shade the newly planted sprouts.

Researchers looking at satellite images have found that over the last 15 years, the amount of fog appearing in the valley areas of California has decreased by 46%. What does this mean for growers? Less fog means more hot sun and warmer temperatures that can scorch and wither more sensitive plants. Without shade for part of the day, lettuce greens are struggling significantly and many fruit and nut trees are producing less quantities than they would without constant direct sunlight. More direct sunlight during the day also means that what ground water is available is evaporating more quickly, contributing to the drought conditions.

These cooler temperatures before the spring growing season starts are necessary for almonds, pistachios, cherries, apricots and peaches. The trees use the cool and shaded days to develop the buds that eventually become the nuts and fruit we eat. Without the sufficient “rest period” the trees become stressed, produce less buds, and those buds that do form have a harder time developing properly. Already, many farmers are looking for alternate locations to replant established groves where they will have a better chance of producing higher yields. 

Some farmers may still be saying “if I can survive this year, then the rain will come,” but for most farmers… they have already been just “surviving to the next planting” for a couple years and have now reached the tipping point that could put their farms under for good.

Watching my mom unpack the latest haul from the local Santa Monica Farmer’s Market was just as enlightening. “These were really expensive,” she stresses as she pulls a small bag of rainier cherries and two white peaches from her bag. “I’ve never seen them so expensive.” Even here in California, where the produce is locally grown, prices have skyrocketed, people are noticing and all the average person can do is keep hoping for rain.

Non-Dipped vs Dipped Fruit??

Tommy Atkins Mangoes

"Dipping" is a process that submerges fruit in 40 degree Celsius water to kill any fruit fly eggs that may be hiding on them. Any fruit that travels to the USA is always dipped. Dipping can cause uneven ripening, stringy textures, and a loss of flavour by ripening too quickly for the sugars to develop. Thankfully, since Canadian winters kill off any fruit flies that may make it north, we don't require fruit to be dipped before entering the country. We still receive dipped fruit from the USA, but anything that travels directly and by-passes the USA does not need to be dipped. Non-dipped fruit ends up having a much longer shelf life and richer flavour.

Avocados & Mangoes & Twisters, Oh My!

Two tornadoes recently touched down in Michoacan, Mexico, a sight normally seen in the "Tornado Alley" regions of the United States (and occasionally in southern California). Most people would head for the basement or nearest bathtub, but residents in Michoacan were filmed standing in the streets in shock and horror.

One twister cut a 2 km swath through  mango groves, leaving behind unripened mangoes in a carpet on the ground. The other touched down in the Avocado area of the state. While only a small percentage of the areas crops or avocados and mangoes were affected, there are quite a few growers who have no crop insurance and are seriously feeling the damage.