Martha Montelongo writes:
Nearly every industry sector is feeling the pain of the current economic downturn. Agriculture is no exception, although it seems that banking, automotive and housing sectors garner front page headlines.
California's agriculture is a big deal. The UC Agricultural Issues Center reports that, if California were a country, its agricultural value alone would rank among the top 10 countries of the world. In addition to farms, about 90,000 commercial establishments in California are connected to agricultural production.
Agriculture has long been the backbone of California's economy, and an engine of economic growth. Yet, agriculture is facing serious threats which could have dire consequences for those who grow the food to those who enjoy it at their dinner table each night. It's not to say that one industry sector is more important than another, but food is a daily necessity for everyone.
Major issues face our local and state economy related to agriculture. Key concerns include drought, lost jobs, food production, and increases in farm regulation.
Let's start with drought. According to the California Department of Water Resources the state is facing its third year of drought. Even with recent rains, precipitation remains below normal, and major storage reservoirs are at dangerously low levels. The drought has economic repercussions which include loss of thousands of jobs, increased fire risk, crops idled, and construction projects on hold because water supply cannot be guaranteed. A final factor impacting the drought is climate change.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that unemployment in California's agriculture sector is at an all time high. The number of jobs lost continues to accelerate. This is devastating because agriculture employment comes with a multiplier effect of almost 2:1, meaning for every two jobs in agricultural production and processing an additional job is created in the state, according to a recent UC figures.
That's why I was intrigued when several callers to my radio show about the importance of water to agriculture mentioned SK Foods. They are one of the region's and the agricultural sector's largest employers, upon which 6,000 California families rely for their livelihoods. According to others I talked to locally, SK Foods not only creates jobs, but supports local jobs from those who grow the crops, supply them, ship their product and bring them to market -- and likely there are many others whose names I will never know but whose quiet success underpins the continued economic competitiveness of our state.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
How To Can Tomatos
The Idaho Statesman reports:
1. Choose fully ripe tomatoes. Make sure they don't have cracks, bruises or signs of disease. Rinse them well.
2. Remove skins by blanching (see instructions that follow).
3. Place blanched tomatoes in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Collect the wide-mouth Mason jars, lids and bands you'll use for canning.
5. Choose your favorite dried herbs, spices and/or salt.
6. Add lemon juice or citric acid (to maintain proper acidity levels) to the jars. At this time you can also add the herbs, spices and salt.
1. Choose fully ripe tomatoes. Make sure they don't have cracks, bruises or signs of disease. Rinse them well.
2. Remove skins by blanching (see instructions that follow).
3. Place blanched tomatoes in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Collect the wide-mouth Mason jars, lids and bands you'll use for canning.
5. Choose your favorite dried herbs, spices and/or salt.
6. Add lemon juice or citric acid (to maintain proper acidity levels) to the jars. At this time you can also add the herbs, spices and salt.
Tomato Demand Grows
The Sacramento Bee reports:
After an extraordinary jump in tomato exports in 2008, California canneries are paying record prices and asking farmers to deliver a record crop.
But drought is squeezing planting in key parts of the Central Valley, and it's not clear the state will be able to deliver on the 26.6 billion-pound request.
With prices up 17 percent over last year, though, tomatoes are sprouting wherever there's water, from Sutter County to Delta islands and the Salinas Valley.
After an extraordinary jump in tomato exports in 2008, California canneries are paying record prices and asking farmers to deliver a record crop.
But drought is squeezing planting in key parts of the Central Valley, and it's not clear the state will be able to deliver on the 26.6 billion-pound request.
With prices up 17 percent over last year, though, tomatoes are sprouting wherever there's water, from Sutter County to Delta islands and the Salinas Valley.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It's Tomato Planting Time
Report:
Tomatoes reign king over the vegetable garden. Even those who don't raise vegetables will find a place in the landscape for a couple of tomato plants.
By following a number of simple rules even those of you with the brownest of thumbs can have beautiful fresh tomatoes for the table. The location is critical. Select a site that gets as much sun as possible. Six to eight hours of full, direct sunlight is a minimum. If you have experienced low yields, tall, spindly plants with very few fruit, it is probably due to a lack of sunlight. Your soil is important as well, but soil is something we can fix so if you have a choice between poor soil with lots of sun or good soil with no sun, go for the sun.
Most vegetables require rich, fertile, well drained soils. If you don't have this and most of us don�t there are some things you can do to improve your soil. To improve soil drainage you can add sand and organic matter. The beds should be built up at least eight to twelve inches. This can be done by pulling up rows about three to four feet apart or by building boxes out of treated lumber, cinder blocks or something similar. The use of raised bed box gardens is definitely the way to go.
Tomatoes reign king over the vegetable garden. Even those who don't raise vegetables will find a place in the landscape for a couple of tomato plants.
By following a number of simple rules even those of you with the brownest of thumbs can have beautiful fresh tomatoes for the table. The location is critical. Select a site that gets as much sun as possible. Six to eight hours of full, direct sunlight is a minimum. If you have experienced low yields, tall, spindly plants with very few fruit, it is probably due to a lack of sunlight. Your soil is important as well, but soil is something we can fix so if you have a choice between poor soil with lots of sun or good soil with no sun, go for the sun.
Most vegetables require rich, fertile, well drained soils. If you don't have this and most of us don�t there are some things you can do to improve your soil. To improve soil drainage you can add sand and organic matter. The beds should be built up at least eight to twelve inches. This can be done by pulling up rows about three to four feet apart or by building boxes out of treated lumber, cinder blocks or something similar. The use of raised bed box gardens is definitely the way to go.
Building The Better Tomato
Here's a report from Louisiana:
NATCHITOCHES- Students at Northwestern State University are attempting to build a better tomato by grafting disease resistant rootstock to the leafy tops of common heirloom varieties. The tomatoes are expected to be bigger, better and more abundant when harvested, according Millard Mangrum, instructor of biology, who is coordinating the project.
Grafting must take place when the plants are very small, according to Mangrum, who cultivated the plants from seeds for two weeks before supervising his students in the grafting process. Students carefully snipped the stems at a 45-degree angle and attached the scions, or leafy tops, of Creole tomato plants to Maxifort rootstock bases with 1.5 mm silicone clips. Maxifort is known to be resistant against nematodes, fungus and other pests.
NATCHITOCHES- Students at Northwestern State University are attempting to build a better tomato by grafting disease resistant rootstock to the leafy tops of common heirloom varieties. The tomatoes are expected to be bigger, better and more abundant when harvested, according Millard Mangrum, instructor of biology, who is coordinating the project.
Grafting must take place when the plants are very small, according to Mangrum, who cultivated the plants from seeds for two weeks before supervising his students in the grafting process. Students carefully snipped the stems at a 45-degree angle and attached the scions, or leafy tops, of Creole tomato plants to Maxifort rootstock bases with 1.5 mm silicone clips. Maxifort is known to be resistant against nematodes, fungus and other pests.
Bacon, Tomato And Cheese Pizza
Here's a recipe from the Dallas Morning News:
2
tablespoons cornmeal
1
(10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust, uncooked
1
(10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed, zesty tomato soup
¾
cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
¾
cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 ½
cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3
cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on bottom of a pan.
Place pizza crust over cornmeal. Spread soup evenly over crust and arrange tomatoes over soup. Top with bacon, cheddar cheese and parmesan. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
2
tablespoons cornmeal
1
(10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust, uncooked
1
(10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed, zesty tomato soup
¾
cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
¾
cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 ½
cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3
cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on bottom of a pan.
Place pizza crust over cornmeal. Spread soup evenly over crust and arrange tomatoes over soup. Top with bacon, cheddar cheese and parmesan. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
Tomatoes Are The Saving Grace In Salads
I find salads boring. They are one of those foods that is good for you, but who wants to eat one? The only reason I eat salads is for the zest that tomatoes bring. Especially when mixed with cucumbers and avocado.
Yesterday, I made myself a lentil-rice dish. But I had no pasta sauce. So I just added some basil and oregano and salt. The result? It tasted like cardboard. Not good.
Today I went to the store and stocked up on eight jars of pasta sauce. I just add a jar to my lentil-rice stews and I have something yummy.
From the Los Angeles Times:
While the tomatoes are cooking, start preparing the kushary. Clarified butter can be found at Trader Joe's and select gourmet markets. Harissa can be found at Middle Eastern groceries.
Roasted tomato sauce2 white onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil2 tablespoons chopped garlic1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme2 1/4 pounds tomatoes (about 12 plum), cored and chopped1 cup waterSalt1. In a medium, heavy-bottom pot, cook the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they start to turn a deep brown, about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.2. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook just until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.3. Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tomatoes soften completely and begin to break apart, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly.4. Purée the tomato mixture in a blender until smooth. (Be careful not to fill the blender more than 1/3 of the way or steam may force the liquid to fly out of the blender. And always cover the lid with a towel when blending hot liquids to prevent splashes and spills.)5. Season to taste with salt and keep in a warm place until ready to serve.
Yesterday, I made myself a lentil-rice dish. But I had no pasta sauce. So I just added some basil and oregano and salt. The result? It tasted like cardboard. Not good.
Today I went to the store and stocked up on eight jars of pasta sauce. I just add a jar to my lentil-rice stews and I have something yummy.
From the Los Angeles Times:
While the tomatoes are cooking, start preparing the kushary. Clarified butter can be found at Trader Joe's and select gourmet markets. Harissa can be found at Middle Eastern groceries.
Roasted tomato sauce2 white onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil2 tablespoons chopped garlic1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme2 1/4 pounds tomatoes (about 12 plum), cored and chopped1 cup waterSalt1. In a medium, heavy-bottom pot, cook the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they start to turn a deep brown, about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.2. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook just until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.3. Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tomatoes soften completely and begin to break apart, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly.4. Purée the tomato mixture in a blender until smooth. (Be careful not to fill the blender more than 1/3 of the way or steam may force the liquid to fly out of the blender. And always cover the lid with a towel when blending hot liquids to prevent splashes and spills.)5. Season to taste with salt and keep in a warm place until ready to serve.
Robots Taking Care Of Tomatoes
Judy Lowe writes: Don’t you just love the idea of robots taking care of tomato plants, feeding and watering them when the tomatoes ask for it?! And not just in a SF book or flick. It’s here — and has some practical implications for agriculture.
Because this kind of thing fascinates me, I’m taking the unusual step of turning this column over to the MIT news service today, so you can read all about what they’re doing.
Be sure to scroll through the photos, too.
“In the middle of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sits a platform of fake grass with tomato plants nestled in terra-cotta pots, growing under the light of an artificial sun.
“But this urban, indoor garden has a twist: The caretakers of the plants are entirely robotic.
Because this kind of thing fascinates me, I’m taking the unusual step of turning this column over to the MIT news service today, so you can read all about what they’re doing.
Be sure to scroll through the photos, too.
“In the middle of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sits a platform of fake grass with tomato plants nestled in terra-cotta pots, growing under the light of an artificial sun.
“But this urban, indoor garden has a twist: The caretakers of the plants are entirely robotic.
The Tomato Story
From Wikipedia: The Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, syn. Lycopersicon lycopersicum & Lycopersicon esculentum[1]) is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins tobacco, potatoes, aubergine (eggplants), chilli peppers, and the poisonous belladonna. It is a perennial, often grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual. Typically reaching to 1-3m (3 to 9 ft) in height, it has a weak, woody stem that often vines over other plants. The leaves are 10–25 centimetres (3.9–9.8 in) long, odd pinnate, with 5–9 leaflets on petioles,[2] each leaflet up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) long, with a serrated margin; both the stem and leaves are densely glandular-hairy. The flowers are 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) across, yellow, with five pointed lobes on the corolla; they are borne in a cyme of 3–12 together.
The tomato is native to South America and a prehistoric introduction to Central America and Southern parts of North America. Genetic evidence shows that the progenitors of tomatoes were herbaceous green plants with small green fruit with a center of diversity in the highlands of Peru. These early Solanums diversified into the ~dozen species of tomato recognized today. One species, Solanum Lycopersicum, was transported to Mexico where it was grown and consumed by prehistoric humans. The exact date of domestication is not known.
The tomato is native to South America and a prehistoric introduction to Central America and Southern parts of North America. Genetic evidence shows that the progenitors of tomatoes were herbaceous green plants with small green fruit with a center of diversity in the highlands of Peru. These early Solanums diversified into the ~dozen species of tomato recognized today. One species, Solanum Lycopersicum, was transported to Mexico where it was grown and consumed by prehistoric humans. The exact date of domestication is not known.
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