Happy Dirt

For our 2024 North Carolina organic peppers eason, we’re thrilled to feature a range of specialty organic peppers alongside our organic bell peppers, including organic shishito peppers packaged in Happy Dirt clamshells for the first time! When crop planning with @southwindproduce, we asked Miles if he would grow organic shishito peppers for us. And in true farmer fashion, he didn’t hesitate. His crop has been prolific this year, so it’s safe to say that Miles has ideal soil for organic shishitos peppers. By growing a diverse variety of peppers (or any crop), farmers are able to maintain the health of their soil! Having a diverse variety of crops also provides new opportunities for our farmer-partners because we're able to help them explore new markets. Learn more about organic shishito peppers, as well as Happy Dirt's must-have organic peppers for summer! #organicproduce #sustainablefoodsystems https://lnkd.in/eUxxndBp

It may be National Blueberry Month, but we've been enjoying organic blueberries from our North Carolina farmer-partners since the beginning of May! Each year, we kick off organic blueberry season with our farmer-partners in South Carolina in April until the North Carolina season begins in May! When North Carolina organic blueberries begin to slow in mid-June, we move to our farmer-partners in Virginia. The NC organic blueberry season typically runs through mid-July and the VA season runs through the end of July! This year, our North Carolina organic blueberry season started early due to the heat. We also had a tiny blueberry wobble at the beginning of the season due to rain (Mother Nature is going to do what she wants to do), but those little blueberries held on tight! We had an abundance of North Carolina summer blues this year to keep us cool in this unrelenting heat! We are grateful for our farmer-partners in Eastern North Carolina who grow organic blueberries and their commitment sustainability! Last month Altar Cross Farms, one of our organic blueberry farm-partners, received their Fair Food Program Certification! Our farmer-partners not only care about the well-being of the soil, but also about the well-being of their farm workers, which makes their fruit that much sweeter!

On their California farm tour last week, Chris, Eric, and Carolyn visited Craig Kaprielian, one of @fruitworld's organic citrus growers! We partner with Fruit World and their California organic citrus and grape growers to bring California sunshine to the East Coast. In case you haven't noticed, our farmers are always finding new ways to innovate and adapt. Craig Kaprielian is a perfect example, with decades of experience growing citrus in the San Joaquin Valley. His unique and groundbreaking techniques have earned him several patents and impressive yields to back them up! Craig's two-year-old Clemenule Mandarin orchards are a testament to his ingenuity. Despite their young age, they produce yields comparable to five-year-old orchards. Even more impressive, these orchards maximize every drop of water in an area that's been grappling with severe mega-droughts since the early 2010s. Craig's work isn't just about growing fruit; it's about thriving in challenging conditions and setting new standards for sustainable farming. #sustainablefarming #organicproduce

Meet the Annina Eggplant, the latest addition to Happy Dirt's North Carolina summer lineup thanks to South Wind Produce. We're excited to share this stunning eggplant variety with you this year because the Annina eggplant isn't just food—it's a piece of art. The Annina is a cross between a Listada de Gandia, which is a type of Spanish graffiti eggplant, and a Traviata eggplant, which is a traditional type of Italian eggplant! This eggplant variety gets its striking splashes of purple and white stripes from the graffiti eggplant and it's mildly sweet flavor from the Italian eggplant. Its tender, creamy texture makes it perfect for grilling, roasting, or stir-frying. Some folks have said that it's even tasty when eaten raw!

This week Chris and Eric, from the purchasing and sales teams, and Carolyn, Weaver Street Market's head of merchandising, are in California for the Organic Produce Summit, so they went a few days early to visit with some of our farmer-partners in California! One of their first visits was with Vern Peterson of Homegrown Organics! Vern planted his orchard, Abundant Harvest Organics, in 1979. He grows a variety of organic tree fruit, including: plums, peaches, nectarines, and persimmons! During the visit, Vern chatted with Chris, Eric, and Carolyn under is Organic-Certified, Regenerative Black Friar Plums about the history of the farm and the importance of building organic matter in the soil. His soil has 2.1% organic matter compared to 0.3% for soil in surrounding areas using conventional practices. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Crops and Soils Division of Extension, for each 1 % increase in soil, organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre. The area in California where Vern's orchard is located receives an an average annual rainfall of just 9 inches a year, so the increase in water retention is crucial! Because Vern and his family have invested in the health of their soils, their trees continue to bear beautiful fruit despite the lack of rain. Learn more about Vern and his family's farm! https://lnkd.in/e2cgQ7KR

"Made with North Carolina’s favorite summer crops like red tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and bicolor sweet corn, each ingredient in the Organic Summer Squash Corn Salad holds a special place in my heart. They signify the start of the summer season and my birthday, a time filled with fond memories of family gatherings." -Konget We invite you to celebrate summer and to make new family memories and traditions today with our Organic Summer Squash Corn Salad, created for Happy Dirt by chef Konget! https://lnkd.in/e678NEfM

Today’s Summer Special: A Soulful Organic Summer Squash Corn Salad, created by chef Konget This summer salad is more than just a dish; it’s a narrative of tradition, love, and the joys of summertime in North Carolina. It’s also simple, delicious, and vegan! Before joining Happy Dirt’s sales team, Konget was a culinary professional for over a decade! For Konget and other chefs, recipe creation is more than just putting ingredients together. It’s an art form. And, we’re extremely lucky that Konget is using her talent to create original recipes for Happy Dirt and Haandmade Pottery this year! We are thrilled to partner with Haandmade Pottery, designed and handmade in Burlington, NC to help us bring the full story of Konget’s North Carolina recipes to life. You never forget the vessels that sat on the table where you enjoyed a transformative, shared meal! https://lnkd.in/e678NEfM

We've said it once, and we'll probably say it again tomorrow. We are quite obsessed with Happy Dirt Farmer Owner Herbie Cottle's organic sweet corn, for good reason. Despite lack of rain and the heat slowing things down in North Carolina over the last month, Herbie's organic sweet corn has continued to thrive. But, we don't have much longer left in the season, so we're relishing every single bite. If you're from North Carolina or the Southeast and want the opportunity to sink your teeth into NC-grown organic sweet corn in the coming weeks or in the future, let the produce managers know during your next trip to your favorite grocery store! We want you to experience the taste of North Carolina's sweet gold. #regionalfoodsystems #organicproduce

As soon as we pulled onto the gravel road of South Wind Produce, windows down and music streaming, the sweet smell of summer enveloped us! If you’re from the state or have lived here for a while, you know that there’s nothing like summertime in North Carolina. Miles Okal and Angie Raines, farmers and co-owners of South Wind Produce, walked us through the organic mini sweet and shishito pepper fields first and we were in awe at how vibrant the colors were. We sat down with Miles at the end of 2023 to crop plan for 2024, which included these mini sweet peppers and shishito peppers, and they have succeeded our expectations. It’s always a gamble for farmers to try something new, especially small farms like South Wind, but farmers are always willing to try something once. After showing off the pepper fields, we walked through the high tunnels that are filled with organic cherry tomatoes and midnight roma tomatoes that they are also growing for Happy Dirt this year. The sweet, tangy fragrance of the tomato plants was intoxicating! The smell of a tomato plant somehow cuts through the summer heat and cools you down for a brief second. It’s magical. It’s an honor to partner with and support young, organic farmers like Miles and Angie. And like summertime makes us feel, we hope to be a small part of keeping our farmers forever young.

Happy Summer Solstice! We're excited to celebrate the longest day and the shortest night of the year, feasting on fresh organic flavors from the fields of North Carolina. The summer heat came early this year, which means a lot of summer crops came in early and in abundance. So, what North Carolina summer flavors are we indulging in right now? Check out the newsletter we sent out today to our newsletter subscribers to learn more about the top 5 North Carolina flavors we're eating to celebrate sweet summertime! #organicproduce #sustainablefoodsystems https://lnkd.in/degkFUWF