Last summer my daughter and I visited two Northeastern North Carolina farms with our friends from Got to Be NC. Not only did we get to see where goodness grows, we saw how it’s harvested, sorted, packed and sold.
And I learned that we consumers are ridiculously picky!
Take cucumbers, for instance.
We visited AJ Smith and Sons Farm in Edenton, NC and went from the fields where the cucumbers were being harvested to where the cukes are sorted and boxed inside – a pretty cool experience.
But it was shocking to hear that there’s a huge price difference between curved and straight cucumbers. Can you guess which one consumers want?
If you guessed straight, you were right! A box of curvy cucumbers sells for half the price of straight cucumbers. It’s cucumber craziness!
We also peered into the world of potatoes, corn and soybeans at John E. Ferebee Farms in Camden, NC, a 7th-generation farm focused on growing and packing red, white and yellow flesh potatoes.
We were given the grand tour by Martha Ferebee who started at the history wall where one of the original Fort Raleigh burlap bags (their personal brand) is on display. She remembers that pickers would stake off an area in the field, pick the 2 1/2 baskets of potatoes it took to fill the bag and then wait right there in the field until they were paid. Then they’d stake off a new section and start the picking process all over again.
Nowadays, bags have moved to paper and polypropylene, and picking is done by large machines called diggers, and we had the chance to see one harvesting in the field.
Potatoes are harvested on a three-year rotation so as not to wear out the soil and its nutrients, so after the current potato crop is harvested, soybeans will be planted, then corn, soybeans, corn and finally back to potatoes again. Each of the three varieties of potatoes also requires a different soil type.
Farming is very much a science!
But for consumers… it’s more of a beauty pageant. We want our potatoes to look a certain way and we simply don’t buy them if they don’t match up.
Aesthetics is everything, and farming practices have to accommodate it.
Martha told us consumers want smooth-skinned potatoes even though she says there are other “uglier” varieties that taste better. It’s all about the skin and appearance, not the taste apparently.
She explained that USDA standards for size, shape, firmness and cleanliness determine how potatoes are sorted and graded. Of course, they need to be disease-free as well, and each load of potatoes from North Carolina farms is inspected to ensure compliance.
Because of the heat, all North Carolina potatoes are sold for a limited time and not stored, and once they’re bagged, they’re cooled down. This helps remove any remaining field heat which could cause softness and decay.
No. 1 potatoes are the “best looking” and No. 2’s have some sort of defect – a little green, ugly or misshapen and they’re sold at a 40% discount.
Fun fact: The green spots on potatoes come from sunlight. If it rains and some of the dirt washes off in the field, the exposed skin turns green.
Another fun fact: Did you know that potato plants are killed before the potatoes are harvested? This allows the skin time to toughen up. If the plants were still living, the skin would slide right off of them. Fascinating!
It sure makes you appreciate everything farmers do when you realize what all goes into it!
And one last piece of advice about storing potatoes at home. For the longest, freshest shelf life, Martha says, “Keep ’em cool, dark and dirty.”
Comments & Reviews
I’m from a farming area and we grow lots of potatoes. I would actually drive along the road where the potatoes were harvested and pickup the ones left behind. Anything straight from the ground is always so, so good.
That’s so smart! I can only imagine how delicious they taste when they’re THAT fresh! Yummy!
I’d love to visit a working farm with my children! A great learning experience about food sourcing.
It is strange that we care more about how the cucumbers look. I will gladly pay half the price for curvy cucumbers.
Love this post! So glad you could join us on the tour.
Oh what a fun experience! I’m totally guilty of picking the pretty fruit.
I love to visit our Farmer’s which is right on the farm. I think that’s the absolute best part of Summer.
What an interesting experience. I’m one who buys the straight cucumbers. Idk why, it’s just always been a personal preference even though there is no difference.
This would be a fun thing to do. I always love learning more about farms and how they work. I know the foods there are so much better than what you find in stores. We just love potatoes.
What a great experience! We love behind the scenes looks at places like this!
I would love to bring my kids so they can see first hand all about where our food comes from. Fresh food is so hard to find near me I have to drive far just for the freshness but it’s worth it
I wish more kids could learn and see where the fresh produce come from, how it is cultivated, gathered, stored, grown.
Then it wouldn’t be about the “looks,” taste and quality of taste and wholesomeness of the ingredients would be the #1 identifiers.
I can’t wait to read your coverage for NC seafood! I support local farms!
Agriculture is an interesting world. I am so curious so know more about it. I love your advice!
It’s always fun and exciting to visit farms and see how they “do it.” So they harvest potatoes in a three year rotation? That is great to know. I had no idea.
I would love to take my kids on a tour like this! I think they would enjoy it!
This is really fun, yes getting that fresh produce is always great thing. I would like to take my kids to go fro trip in that farm.
Loving have veggies from the garden! It’s one of the best parts of the summer!