Quality
We believe three primary factors greatly influence the quality of farm produce...
1) Fresh
When farm produce is harvested at its peak ripeness (or just prior) and delivered to our Farm Stand very quickly, it is better... MUCH better! The nutrition and flavor are higher, and the physical condition/appearance are better.
2) Local
Mostly, farm produce cannot be fresh unless it is local. Transportation time is a big problem for farm produce. When farm produce is shipped long distances (from several states away), it is either no longer fresh, harvested way before it was ripe (thus hurting nutrition and flavor), or chemical preservatives have been applied—or maybe all three!
Transporting farm produce long distances usually involves boxes, trucks, and sometimes planes and trains. This takes days or even weeks! With the goal of efficiency, how farm produce fits into a box has become very important. Over recent decades, the size, shape, and durability (texture) have become essential characteristics of farm produce being transported long distances -- at the expense of nutrition and flavor. For example, packing the same number of tomatoes nicely into a box requires each tomato to be the same size and have tough skin.
By contrast, when we work with local producers, they often harvest their products and deliver them to our Farm Stand the same day - and with tender, loving care.
3) Organic, or at least as close to organic as possible
In 1990, the US government passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), which established uniform national standards for foods labeled as “organic." Labeling a product as “organic" is illegal if it is not certified organic by the USDA. We certainly believe in and follow USDA organic regulations for the organic products grown on our farm at Bear Butte Gardens. There are only a few USDA organic-certified producers in western South Dakota. We recognize that USDA organic certification is not a good fit for all local producers. We know many excellent producers who are "nearly organic" but not "organic certified."
Products are not required to be USDA organic certified to supply the Farm Stand at Bear Butte Gardens. However, we do prefer organic products. We also gently encourage the producers we work with to implement agricultural methods that meet USDA organic regulations.