The Food Chronicles turns 1-year old next Thursday, May 17th. Hard to believe this adventure started a year ago. I feel like I've just begun. I'm constantly rounding new corners, learning different things and getting spun down new paths. But the goal is the same...building a regional and sustainable food system that supports local economies!

When you write a blog, you can't help but geek out on the traffic stats. It's fun to see which posts get the most hits. And one post continues to be the most popular, "Where Do Strawberries Come From." Every month since it was published on July 12th, it continues to top the leader board. I was taking an agroecology course at UC Santa Cruz at the time and we visited a farm where the young owner shared this fun fact...

    "Strawberries are a hot crop where plastic tarps cover their raised beds to generate heat and cut down on weeds. It acts as a mulch. Back in the day, they didn't have plastic mulch so they used "straw" around the base of the plant to trap heat and reduce weeds. Get it?  Straw-berries!"

I apologize to all the people doing a Google search for "Where Do Strawberries Come From" and finding my measly post in the Top 10. It hardly gives the whole story. Now, if you want the real skinny on strawberries, check out the site Strawberries for Strawberry Lovers. It appears strawberries originated along the coastlines of North and South America as well as the Hawaiian Islands. Their notoriety hit the big time when a Chilean variety reached France in 1714. Some of strawberry's foremost authorities debunk the sweet story that was told to me about its moniker. The more widely accepted story for how the scrumptious fruit got its name is because it resembles straw when it is strewn about on the ground. Booooring! I'm going to stick with my story. Way better!

Interestingly enough...I have a couple more posts about strawberries. And each was written during my course in Santa Cruz. There are lots of strawberries grown in those parts. One post profiles Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry Farm.  Jim pioneered the techniques to grow strawberries organically. He was ostracized in the 80's being told it was not possible and the only way to grow strawberries commercially was to follow conventional practices which rely on toxic fumigants to eradicate soil pathogens. Chemical fumigants like methyl iodide are still widely used today poisoning field workers and most likely those who consume the tainted strawberries. My second post about strawberries depicts a startling, photo commentary of our current agricultural system. Check out the link! And if you think it is just strawberries that we need to worry about being dosed with skulls-n-crossbones, think again!

I don't know the exact birthplace of the strawberry but I did learn a fun fact today about where it gets its name...Strawberries are a hot crop where plastic tarps cover their raised beds to generate heat and cut down on weeds. It acts as a mulch. Back in the day, they didn't have plastic mulch so they used "straw" around the base of the plant to trap heat and reduce weeds. Get it?  Straw-berries :)

When we need to do field trips and group discussions, our group of 32 is broken down into smaller groups of four. Today we visited Toby Kline at Santa Cruz Farm along Hwy 1. He leases and farms 3.5 acres on a hillside with views of the ocean. Combined, it provides a comfortable lifestyle for one person allowing him to take winters in Baja where he volunteers and consults on other farms. During peak season, he'll have 4-6 full -time staff but otherwise, it is pretty much just him. Seeing a farm of this scale put into perspective the idea of farming a small plot of land. Which directly ties in with the Abraham Lincoln quote that Toby has emblazoned on the wall of his tool shed, "The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small plot of land." For Toby, farming sustainably is not just about organic methods but also what is sustainable for himself, his budget and lifestyle. He's one guy, who isn't wealthy and still wants a life. He has struck that balance.

70 years ago, nearly 20% of the population made their living as farmers and over 50% worked the land in some way perhaps in the form of a subsistence farm. Today less than 1% of the population claim farming as their main occupation. It's not even listed on the census form. How far we've strayed! Toby is a great example of closing that gap not only providing for himself but others in his community. We need more farmers at this level like Toby. It demonstrates that you can carve an income from even a small-small scale farm. His food can be found in area restaurants, New Leaf Community Markets and three of Santa Cruz's Farmer's Markets. Toby is planning another phase to his sustainable farming practice by transitioning to primarily perennial crops meaning they will regrow each year unlike an annual which you have to plant new each year. It allows the soil to establish itself and get stronger over time versus always being tilled and replanted. He'll find himself more on the berry side of the patch than vegetables which are typically more annuals but he sees a growing market and one ripe for the picking.

Here's my group at Santa Cruz Farm. Toby is in the middle with the trucker hat. From L-R...Back Row: Christina, Lenora, Kristina, Toby, Franciso, Susie, ? Front Row:Tara, ara, Dongmei.