In the middle of the fertile Willamette Valley in western Oregon, farmer Bob Wilt walks the rows of his 75-acre organic blueberry farm critically plucking ripe fruit for analysis. What he’s looking for is not sweetness or pest resistance (though these factors are certainly involved), but the fruit’s nutrient density. Thus far, his berries measure up. Test.

Among organic methods of pest control, rock dust is one of the safest for people, soil, and plants.

After the success of last year's course, Dan Kittredge will be presenting another series of workshops for the 2010-2011 growing season. The goal is to engage and build on what you already know and are doing.

Organic Connections magazine has published a story on blueberry grower Bob Wilt who found that the more efficiently he was able to get minerals into his berries, the higher the brix measurement went. Hence, he concentrated on doing that and still does to this day. And as the brix has gone up, so has the flavor.

Beginning in the 1950s, America’s farmers were told to get big, or get out. It wasn’t just a slogan, it was USDA policy, a mantra recited by several secretaries of agriculture. That mindset, combined with a post-WWII explosion in chemical fertilizer use, made our farms larger and more productive than ever — but at a high price, with many small farmers vanishing and the introduction of new kinds of environmental challenges.

Is it possible to grow food with exquisite flavor, beautiful shine, extraordinary nutrition, and extended shelf-life? According to growers who have done it, not only can farm-sized growing operations do it, but with the right tools and knowledge, people can do it in their own backyards. Practitioners of this kind of growing say their goal is to maximize crop nutrient density - the amount of nutrition per volume of crop - and that this can be done in a manner entirely consistent with certified organic growing practices.

Barre, MA – When more than 100 farmers converge this February in Barre for a 3 day seminar, they'll be focusing on a topic of serious concern to a growing number of consumers: the nutrition and taste of our food. The Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter has arranged for the worldwide farmer consultant, Dr. Arden Andersen, to give this intensive seminar to farmers on how they can increase the nutrient density, taste, and yield of their crops.

On December 3rd and 4th of 2008 at ACORE in Washington DC, Real Food Campaign Director Dan Kittredge spoke at the Phase II of Renewable Energy in America Conference with Joel Salatin, a well-known player in the eco/sustainable farming movement, on the subject of food and fee.

Organic Connections, a wonderful magazine put out by Natural Vitality, has recently won a design award. The magazine often carries articles on RTE and soil remineralization. The recent July-August issue featured an article with Dr. Arden Andersen titled How We Can Restore Nutritional Content to Our Food. The coming September-October issue will feature RTE Director Dan Kittredge and the Real Food Campaign. For a free subscription, go to Organic Connections.

Much of RTE's sponsorship for 2007-2008 has come through a percentage of profits paid by Natural Vitality through their Natural Revitalization program. To see a video and story about this program, click here.

Mystic, Connecticut

My husband John and I couldn't be happier with our brand-new garden this year! It's not very big, but it supplies all the produce that we can possibly use. The vegetables are amazing and we give away basketfuls each week.