Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released their 2023 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list. EWG is a non-profit organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability.

Dirty Dozen List

These conventional fruits and vegetables were tested and found high traces of pesticides. It is recommended to get these fruits and veggies organic, whenever possible.

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Kale, Collards, & Mustard Greens

4. Peaches

5. Pears

6. Nectarines

7. Apples

8. Grapes

9.Bell/Hot Peppers

10. Cherries

11. Blueberries

12. Green Beans

Beer and Cheese for Hot Summer Days

Written by Sterling Carlton, DFC Owner and former Beer, Wine & Spirits Specialist

Ensuring the health of the environment, as well as that of the goats, is a priority for Cypress Grove and it shows in the decisions they make. Cypress Grove works with specialist small ruminant nutritionists to ensure the goats have the best balance in their diets. The goats are allowed ample space to roam and graze outside with freedom to move indoors as well. Cypress Grove has removed surrounding non-native and invasive vegetation in addition to leaving significant space on the parcel for a riparian easement that helps with flood mitigation, property maintenance, and supports more biodiversity.

Cypress Grove’s story starts in the 1970s when Mary Keehn chased down and wrangled two goats her neighbor graciously gave her. Eventually the herd grew and grew and Mary decided cheese was what would be done with the milk these goats provided. In 1983 Keehn journeyed to the center of the cheese world: France. In France she was able to try so many classic cheeses at the domaines that birthed them and learned from the masters of Brie, Camembert, and more. Mary returned inspired, opening Cypress Grove that same year. It was on the return flight that her inspiration manifested in a dream and the idea for Humboldt Fog was born. Perhaps in homage to the Morbier cheese it so closely resembles (right down to the gray-blue vegetable ash line in the middle), Humboldt Fog is made from goat’s milk as opposed to the classic’s cow’s milk.

To pair with this masterpiece of a cheese we have, on recommendation from Center Store Specialist Charlie, the Brasserie Dupont Foret Organic Saison. With history dating back to 1759 when it was a simple farm, Brasserie Dupont became a farm-brewery in 1844 specializing in saisons. Saison, meaning seasons, is so called because the farmers produced these beers in the winter for consumption in the fields on hot summer days. The farm-brewery operation eventually came into possession of one Louis Dupont who tweaked the recipe for a saison and thus the Saison Dupont was born.

Foret is an organic offering from Dupont and boasts the claim of being Belgium’s first 100% certified organic beer.  The bouquet offers orange peel, coriander, lemon zest, grains of paradise, and some barnyard funk typical in many saisons. Citrusy palette with full flavor, high acid and a nice funky spice on the end make this a fantastic pairing with Humboldt Fog. The salt and acid of the cheese play off the acid and spice in the beer and the carbonation helps cut through and refresh the palate after a big bite of Fog. All in all this pairing is perfect and not too heavy for a hot day of relaxation or a nice easy picnic. Add some cured meats, cornichons, and perhaps some pickled veggies and you have a simple charcuterie board with a beer to pair with a slow, hot day.

Find Humboldt Fog at the Cheese Counter for $29.99/lb

Find Brasserie Dupont Foret Organic Saison in the Beer Cooler for $12.99/750 mL plus tax.

What to Drink with August’s Cheese of the Month: Nicasio Valley Locarno

Written by Sterling Carlton, Beer, Wine & Spirits Specialist

Nestled in the beautiful Nicasio Valley of Marin County lies a sprawling pasture. Green and lush, the valley is full of life and the sweet smell of dairy cattle floats through the air. The pasture is Nicasio Valley Cheese Company’s 1,150 certified organic acres where they raise dairy cattle and chickens.  The Lafranchi family have been stewards of this pasture, farming sustainably and raising dairy cattle, since 1919, when Fredolino and Zelma Lafranchi left their home in Maggia, Switzerland. They are one of the very few small scale family dairies to survive the last several decades of upheaval in the dairy industry. 

The drive to the creamery is an easy one and quite beautiful along Lucas Valley road. The last bit of the drive takes you through a lush grove of towering trees. It’s a fairly unassuming facility. So unassuming that I drove past it on my first go as the sign on the road declaring “organic cheese tasting” took me a bit by surprise. 

The Lafranchi family achieves this quality through thoughtful management of their pasture from which their roughly 400 dairy cows derive a large amount of their calories for at least 120 days out of the year, a requirement for certified organic pasture-raised cows. The ranch is also home to over 3,000 chickens that produce equally high quality free range eggs. The Lafranchi’s maintain healthy pastures by rotating their herds through different sites and utilizing a significant onsite composting program. This compost program, in conjunction with the thoughtfully managed grazing regime of the ruminant animals, helps create incredibly healthy soil in the pastures and high biodiversity, leading to healthy cows and delicious cheese. Rick Lafranchi, the second eldest of the six Lafranchi siblings, explains it this way: 

“…this region is regarded as having some of the richest pasturelands in the world. Conventional milk production isn’t as viable an option in Marin as organic is because it’s all pasture based. That went hand in hand with us developing an organic cheese company.”

Of their more than half dozen offerings, one of our favorites was brought to market in 2016: Nicasio Valley Cheese Company Locarno Brie, a creamy brie aged for at least 5 weeks. A tangy, firm center is sandwiched between a cream layer just beneath the rind that turns to an oozing heap of delight as it warms or matures. Pair a smear of this beautiful cheese on a Walnut, Honey, and EVOO cracker from The Fine Cheese Co. out of England. The combination of the creamy, lactic sweetness of the dairy intermingling with every crunchy bite transforms the cracker into an almost graham cracker like flavor that compliments the cheese perfectly.

I also have two wines I dutifully tasted along with the Locarno. I opened the 2019 Avni Chardonnay and the 2018 Avni Pinot Noir from Lingua Franca in the Willamette Valley.

Founded in 2012, Larry Stone set out to ensure the vineyard was taken care of using the most sustainable agricultural practices they could manage. The use of low impact, biodynamic, and no till farming was only improved through collaboration with one of the heroes of the regenerative ag movement within the wine industry, Mimi Casteel. Permanent cover crops are kept in the vineyards which encourages all kinds of wildlife such as owls, hawks, foxes and coyotes to naturally mitigate pests. Originally planning to only sell fruit, Stone was encouraged to make his own wines by one Dominique Lafon of Burgundian fame (when Lafon thinks you need to make your own wine because you have an exceptional site, simply put, you listen).

The Chardonnay always starts off a little bit closed on the nose. As it opens up, you’ll find layers of lemon citrus, grapefruit, pear, baking spices, with a slight mineral edge and oak in the background. It’s a lean Chardonnay with racy acid and orchard fruit characteristics that play nicely with the creamy richness of the Locarno cheese. 

The Pinot is similarly lean and taught. It is a laser focused wine with aromas of red cherry and blackberry fruit, wet rocks, and forest floor all backed up slightly by an edge of oak and fine grained tannins. Here the fruity aspect plays nicely with the cheese and the acid again functioned to help cleanse the palette and bring me back for another bite. 

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company has a host of other delicious cheeses as well as pasture raised eggs and a nice little house you can stay at on the property that is just a short drive away from Point Reyes Station. Be sure to stop by the cheese shop for some eggs and ask their very knowledgeable and cheerful cheesemonger, Melisa, for some of her favorite cheeses.

What is Natural Wine? 

Written by Beer, Wine, and Spirits Specialist Sterling Carlton

“Natural wine” has become a very broad term, you’ve likely heard it before. When the subject comes up, I’m often asked, “Isn’t all wine natural?” followed by, “…so it’s organic?” The answer is ultimately a little more complicated than a yes or no and a label from a government agency.

Occasionally you encounter the somewhat snarky, literal interpretation of the term “natural” from someone who says it’s all a fad: there isn’t anything natural about picking grapes, crushing them in a tank, and subsequently fermenting them in a controlled environment. Certainly when we refer to “natural wine” we aren’t asserting that the process employed to make wine is naturally occurring. While it is true fermentation will happen in grapes left unattended, no one in the natural wine space is saying that the planting of vineyards in neat contoured rows or that the actual collection and production is entirely a natural occurrence. Rather, natural wine makers are trying to make wines with as few outside inputs as possible and minimal, if not zero, sulfur use. The grapes are typically sourced from biodynamic, sustainable, or organic vineyards and frequently a combination of all three. A common thread is that people are farming mindfully for the sake of the long term health of the land with particular emphasis in maintaining high biodiversity within those contoured vine rows. 

Now, is this wine organic? Although the grapes are frequently grown in organic, biodynamic, or regenerative vineyards, practices diverge when the grapes hit the winery. First, you have the Zero/Zero camp. These folks believe in neither adding sulfur to their wine nor removing anything from the wine as well. Another cohort believes minimal additions of sulfur for stability are acceptable even if they still avoid manipulating the juice in too many other ways. These additions are just enough to arrest any fermentation and give some marginal protection from oxygen. Because of the sulfur additions, those wines may not be labeled as organic in the United States. This can lead to difficulty for some of the smaller labels who are making their wines in an extremely mindful way, as they won’t be certified organic. 

Winemakers in the United States who use organic grapes have two options for communicating this designation. The first is the USDA Organic certification and the second is the “Made with Organic Grapes” label.

Given that sustainability is at the core of many natural wine making endeavors, there is a fairly large elephant, or perhaps oil tanker, in the room we must touch on. A question that runs along these lines has made its way around some of my natural wine circles and it is a question that deserves some time and thought: 

“What is sustainable about shipping a product to a warehouse, perhaps one across the world, and then re-shipping that product to another point, whether that be another point of distribution or the end consumer?”

This question is a tough one and perhaps one that doesn’t really have a great answer, at least not an answer that doesn’t make me sound like an apologist to some degree. For me, it comes down to the story behind each bottle. When you look at the level of intentionality some of these producers use in tending to their land you realize two things: one, doing it right takes an unbelievable amount of hard work and dedication and second, that most producers aren’t putting in that work for a wide variety of reasons. The challenge for natural wine producers is being able to tell their stories as they’re important for pushing the category forward.

I reached out to Alice Anderson (pictured below), the owner and winemaker at Amevive Wines in Santa Barbara and the caretaker at the historic Ibarra-Young vineyard, which they lease in the Los Olivos District. Land stewardship is central to many natural wine producers, including Alice. Taking care of the vines and the land that supports them is vital to the long term health of the industry and the planet. Alice is a serious practitioner of biodynamic farming. The care and attention it takes to effectively farm in that style shines through in the wines she makes. 

Here are a few thoughts from her about natural wine:

 At the end of the day, growing and producing the highest quality wines as thoughtfully as possible is the goal for all of these natural winemakers, whether they can legally market their wines as organic or not.

Sterling recommends checking out these natural winemakers – all available at the Co-op. And he’s always happy to help you pick out the perfect bottle! You can usually find him in the Beer, Wine, & Spirits Department or ask the Customer Service Desk to page him for you.

Amevive Wines 

Martha Stoumen Wines

Haarmeyer Wine Cellars

Florez Wines 

Matthiasson Wines 

We recently made the decision to raise the price of Organic Bananas to $1.19/pound.

The banana industry is infamous for unfair labor practices, dangerous working conditions, and perpetuation of global inequalities. The Co-op has long rejected being a part of the conventional banana trade. Instead, we only stock Organic Fair Trade bananas from Equal Exchange. Equal Exchange bananas come from three farmer co-ops in Ecuador and Peru where 1,162 small-scale farmers own and farm 5,000 acres of land.

Over the last decade, conventional banana prices have fallen, with increasing costs passed back to plantations and their workers, rather than to consumers or retailers. According to a study by Fair Trade International, about $6.70 per 40-pound wholesale box of conventional bananas is externalized onto smallholder farmers and the employees of banana plantations, as well as onto the land itself.

Unlike the conventional banana trade, Equal Exchange banana farmers earn a reliable income year-round which supports farmer families and creates local employment opportunities. As democratically-run cooperatives, Equal Exchange co-ops use the Fair Trade Premium Fund and vote on how money is used for community development projects. Equal Exchange banana farmers also receive healthcare, women’s entrepreneurship education, and environmental stewardship resources.

“Invisible” costs really aren’t invisible. We won’t be passing those costs back to the farmers who grow our food or to the land that nourishes all of us. Instead, we hope you’ll join us in supporting small farmers growing the food on our tables knowing that you’re strengthening supply chains and relationships that truly benefit people and planet.

Regenerative Agriculture

The Earth naturally has a flow of carbon dioxide. It is stored in large deposits, often called “Carbon Sinks”, as fossil fuels, forests, and in the ocean. It is stored in microorganisms in the soil and in plants. We have accelerated the release of carbon through burning fossil fuels and conventional farming practices, and have slowed near a halt of the reabsorption of carbon dioxide through conventional farming and deforestation. The result, climate change and global warming. The excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere “simply” needs to be put back into the soil.

Regenerative agriculture, also known as “Carbon Farming”, has tremendous global potential and consists of widely available and inexpensive organic management practices. According to the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative at Chico State and the Carbon Underground, “Regenerative Agriculture is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle, and build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density”.

Regeneration International claims that “the deployment of all of these regenerative and organic best practices across the world on 5-10% of all agricultural lands…would result in…50% more [CO2 ] than the amount of sequestration needed to drawdown the CO2 that is currently being released into the atmosphere and the oceans” 

Regenerative farming includes, but is not limited to: 

Regenerative farmers also use cover crops. These plants cover the fields while leaving space for the intended crop and keep Carbon Dioxide in the soil. Cover crops provide the microorganisms in the soil with the nutrients they need to keep the soil healthy and balanced.

You may have already read our blog about composting and it’s environmental benefits. Composting some of the cover crops or main crop residue can be used to sequester carbon quickly and improve soil health. According to the Rodale Institute, “the benefits are significant and accrue quickly: after only one application season of amending with compost, soil organic carbon and aggregate stability increase significantly compared with non-amended soils.”

Crop rotations, switching the crop seasonally or yearly, has shown to “increase soil biodiversity and sequester Carbon” according to Rodale Institute. Keeping plants in the soil year round keeps a high amount of microorganisms in the soil, which we already know means healthy soil and higher crop yields. 

Residue Retention is the practice of keeping the roots and base of the original plant, whether it be the cover crops or the main crop. Removing the plant residue by tilling or for bio-energy removes the Carbon from the soil and puts it in the atmosphere.

The intersection of these practices gives you regenerative agriculture. They all intertwine and improve each other. Rodale Institute claims that “recent data from farming systems and pasture trials around the globe show that we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO 2 emissions with a switch to [regenerative agriculture]”. All of these practices are widely available, inexpensive to use, and result in a healthier soil, planet, and crops.

Regenerative agriculture is a win-win for the planet and farmers.

From the Road: Alexander Valley Vineyards

Written by Sterling Carlton, Beer, Wine & Spirits Specialist

I left foggy Davis around 10:30 am on Friday, December 3rd heading west on Highway 128. My check in to Alexander Valley Vineyards wasn’t until 3:30 pm so I figured I would swing through the Napa Valley and check in on a few of my old haunts from before the pandemic. It was surprisingly sunny in the Berryessa lowlands, but as I climbed into the hills, the dense fog set in. The kind of fog you expect to break down in and have zombies come out after you. Alas, no zombies on this trip. The fog cleared as I made my way into the Napa Valley towards the Silverado Trail and a giddy type of excitement came over me. It felt like the first time I had ever visited the Valley, but I knew it was home.  It’s the sort of excitement accompanied by a little apprehensive energy: What incredible or interesting wines might I find on this trip? What delicious little drops of preserved sun might find their way into my glass and bring joy to my day? What might make me think, “perhaps I don’t ‘get it’ as well as I think I do?”

Their tete de cuvee, Cyrus, named after the founder of the Alexander Valley, Cyrus Alexander, was delicious as well, for the Cabernet lovers out there. Well structured and balanced, it had taught fruit character and integrated tannins. The fruit was fresh, not raisined or cooked, and the acid crisp. Not only is it a wine to enjoy now, but one that will give a lot of joie de vivre with many years of bottle age on it.

Ultimately, my favorite part of the stay was getting to explore the hills of the estate to see all  of the different vineyard blocks they manage. Alexander Valley Vineyards is dedicated to sustainability, cover cropping, transitioning their vines to organic and maintaining wide riparian passages. You get a sense they really care about the stewardship of the land they are charged with. It was really great to see the jackrabbits running through the cover crop of fava beans and peas and amaranth and I can’t wait to go back in the summer to see the vines in full swing. This trip reminded me that the best wine is grown in the most beautiful places in the world.

Find the following Alexander Valley Vineyards wines in the Wine Department.

Organic Cabernet Sauvignon – lush, juicy flavors of cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum, oak, chocolate and a note of cool menthol

Syrah – blackberry jam, black cherry, plum, white pepper and vanilla

Chardonnay – hints of citrus and bright flavors of pear, apple, tropical fruits and peaches with just a kiss of oak

Merlot – juicy red cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum and chocolate notes with a long, juicy finish

Zinfandel – spicy with rich earthy flavors of black cherry, plum, black pepper, apricot and a hint of chocolate

Organic Gewürztraminer – silky & rich with spicy flavors of apple, pear, grapefruit and nice acid balance on the finish

Receive 10% off when you buy 6 or more bottles.

Who’s to blame for Daylight Savings?

It is an unfortunately common belief that daylight savings was “the fault of farmers”. This belief is false. The American Farm Bureau Federation released an article early this year in hope to set the record straight. They have little hope that daylight savings will go away, but do hope that “maybe one day the sun will set on the idea that it started with farmers.” David Prerau, the author of “Seize the Daylight.” told the New York Times, “I don’t know how that ever became a myth, but it is the exact opposite.”

He said daylight saving time actually disrupts farmers’ schedules.

Livestock and plants do not know of the time change and move along as normal. Cows need to be milked at consistent intervals, thus the time change throws the day to day of the farm off an hour or more to accommodate the cows and to accommodate outside influences, like vendor sales and markets. In 1921, Massachusetts farmers banded together and sued the state for financial losses due to daylight savings and demanded that Standard Time be returned. They lost on both counts. 

Daylight savings is marketed as a way to save energy, allowing more sunlight in the evening when people presumably spend more time at home. There is however a significant amount of studies stating that daylight savings leads an increase in energy use.

Michael Downing, a lecturer at Tufts University and the author of “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time.” claims that the sunlight at the end of the day encourages the American people to go out. 

“We go to the parks, and we go to the mall, but we don’t walk there,” he said. “Daylight saving increases gasoline consumption.”

Mr. Prerau stated that the idea of daylight savings was rooted in candle wax, not electricity. The idea to change the clocks back was first done by WWI Germany, with the British and the US following shortly after. Mr. Downing said the idea was originally based on having “an eight-hour economy,” but electricity demand is no longer based on sunrises and sunsets.

The need for and benefits of daylight savings in modern times is still up for debate. One thing for sure, it is not our farmers’ fault. 

Additional Reading and Sources

https://www.fb.org/viewpoints/setting-the-record-straight-daylight-saving-time-and-farmers

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/us/daylight-saving-time-farmers.html

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/08/health/daylight-saving-time-facts-and-myths-trnd/index.html