Cooler weather is bringing much awaited relief to some farmers in Southwest Florida. With temperatures cooling down to the 40s Thursday, organic farmers are welcoming in the chill.
Organic farmer Saint Clair Martins with Martins Food Technology said the warmer weather has not helped the crops. The warmth has kept pests around, so Martins is hoping the cooler weather will keep them away: “It takes a longer time for them to show up. So they’re showing up earlier this year. Some of them are sticking around instead of going away for a little bit.” Since the farm is organic, he does not use pesticides to keep the bugs away. So often a lot of his produce gets ruined or not accepted at grocery stores.
“If a pepper is not perfectly round, obviously doesn’t have any markings like these guys do, this automatically becomes an ugly vegetable or in essence a USDA grade 2,” said Melissa Bazley, owner of Krazy Krops. Bazley said a lot of the produce often gets tossed if it has the slightest imperfection. So she came up with Krazy Krops, a business aimed to let the "ugly fruit" not go to waste.
“This ugly looking pepper will never have a chance at a grocery store because of the way it looks and our mission is be able to source these ugly fruits and veggies," Bazley said, "or as I like to call them, unloved fruits and veggies and find them a home in our customers’ kitchen.”
Source: nbc-2.com
