Food & Farm News
» October 28, 2008 «
Lily farmers prepare for Easter 
Farmers in Del Norte County are hustling to complete Easter lily bulb harvest before predicted rain falls Thursday. Bulbs are harvested each fall so they can be forced to bloom for Easter. The lilies naturally bloom in June and July. Farmers take the buds off then and dig the bulbs up now to send to greenhouses across the country, where growers will prepare them to bloom for Easter. All the Easter lilies grown in the United States are raised in the Smith River area of Del Norte County.
Mushroom line offers a boost of vitamin D
Mushrooms with a nutritional bonus are now available. Monterey Mushrooms Inc. is launching Sun Bella, a line of pre-packaged mushrooms with a full daily dose of vitamin D. The introduction comes after two years of research with exposing the mushrooms to ultraviolet rays. The mushrooms have no additives, but are briefly exposed to ultraviolet light during the packing process. Vitamin D's health benefits include helping the body maintain bone strength.
California student elected to national FFA office
An animal science major at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, has been elected secretary of the National FFA Organization. Nessie Early faces a year of travel, meeting top leaders in business, government and education. She will travel more than 100,000 miles visiting more than 40 states and will gain international experience through a tour of Japan. Early is a graduate of Shandon High School in Shandon Unified School District.
Consumers show preference for domestic food
American consumers believe that most food safety concerns in the country are related to food from other countries, according to an online survey conducted by Ipsos/McClatchy. By a large margin, 79 percent to 21 percent, participants reported that their worries stem from imported food rather than domestically produced food. The survey used a national sample of more than one thousand adults.
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