Organic Produce

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Organic food is produced without any chemicals which means:

No pesticides, No herbicides, No fertilisers, No preservatives.

The food is grown within a system of agriculture that is safe and sustainable, does no damage to the environment and the crops produced are healthy. Heavy reliance is placed on developing a healthy, fertile soil, via such methods as crop rotation, the right mixtures of crops and the use of green manure's. Because of this system the land remains biologically balanced, with a wide range of insect and animal life acting as natural predators for crop pests.

There are a number of official organic bodies in the U.K, the largest of which is the Soil Association, dealing with over 80% of growers & processors in the U.K. Strict rules are laid down by the Soil Association for U.K produce, this, coupled with the rules laid down for importing organic produce by the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) ensure the integrity of produce labelled as organic. It is an offence under EC Regulation 2092/91 to market any product as Organic without a certificate of registration, issued by an approved certification body.

Tallywacker Farm is registered with the Soil Association, both as a producer and processor. As a Soil Association registered producer we keep the following records for EACH plant we grow:

• A record of seed purchase
• A record of seeds sown - both direct and via seed propagation
• For propagated seed - a record of transplants raised and planted
• A daily harvest record
• A record of the destination for the produce
• A record of any Organic manures/fertilisers used
• A record of vermin control, if used
• A strict crop rotation plan

As a Soil Association registered processor we check that our suppliers are fully approved by UKROFS. We keep a record of the weight and pack size of all produce bought in. All packaging is checked for seals and correct labelling Through the tracking system operated by our suppliers and ourselves we can trace any item of produce back to the producer/processor body responsible for the item.

Each week customers receive a box of vegetables and /or fruit, which will vary according to season and availability. You will always receive the basics, such as potatoes, carrots and onions along with other seasonally available vegetables. Whilst some people are initially a touch daunted by the prospect of receiving vegetables they may be unfamiliar with, we have found that once the cookbook has been researched and a recipe found, the unfamiliar vegetable soon becomes a favourite.

The land to be converted must go through a two-year conversion process. Once it has been registered with an approved body the first year is spent building up the fertility of the land via such means as green manure's and natural fertilisers.
Produce grown within the first year cannot be termed as organic. In the second year produce may be termed as 'In Conversion', but it is only in the third year that produce may be termed as fully organic. Remember it is the soil that matters and natural fertility building is a very important part of organic farming.

Because food grown Organically is grown without the use of chemicals and is grown via more natural methods then intensive farming the yields produced will be less. Organic seed is untreated; therefore the germination rate will be less then treated seed. Young Organic seedlings have no chemicals to protect them from pests, therefore less make it to maturity. A percentage of the crop will be lost to various pests, therefore less yield. More labour is required to look after the crops and more land needed to grow the same amount of crops as conventional growing. In order to maintain the integrity of Organic food more records have to be kept tracking the product from the seed production stage to the final product being delivered to the customer.
Perhaps the question should be: Why is non-Organic food so cheap?

Fruit and vegetables, in a natural environment, do not grow in a uniform size, shape or colour. It saddens us greatly that an enormous amount of perfectly edible fresh produce is destroyed because it does not have the 'super-model' look that seems to have been conditioned in us from modern advertising. Taste tends to play a larger part then looks, as most of our customers tell us.

Recent press coverage has highlighted the need to peel certain conventional vegetables before eating, along with lists of toxins found in the most routine of conventionally grown vegetables. It has to be your decision to decide if food grown with unknown chemicals will be as healthy for you as food grown without unknown chemicals