Organic. Sustainable. Soil-focused. Farming.
What makes our Veg more Nutrient-dense?
At the Cape Food Farm, we grow organic, nutrient-dense vegetables and we place a high focus and value on our soil. Of course, it sounds wonderful to eat nutrient-dense food, but what does that really mean? Most of us have been exposed to organic fruit and vegetables for some time now and have a sense of what that means. Organic farming is great, and the benefits are clear such as environmentally clean crop production. But is it the most nutrient-dense veg we can consume?
Organic farming has many shortcomings, which in a nutshell, can be summed up in this. Even though no pesticides are used, there is little focus on the soil and organisms that naturally help to grow a complete plant as well as the sustainability of the farming practises. Throughout history, there has been a relationship between humans, the earth and food. Soil and water are essential natural resources for our plant-based food production, but it is often disruptive of natural ecosystems.
We understand that soil is alive and that certain methods of farming will stop the natural biology of the soil. The application of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and inorganic fertilizers kill off part of the natural symbioses that exist within the plant biology, every time it is used. In all our farming practises we employ knowledge and understanding of the important role that insects play, and that pests and disease are not the cause of a failing crop but rather symptoms of plants that were never healthy to start with.
Simply put, healthy plants comprise of complex carbohydrates and complete proteins. Insects have remarkably simple digestive systems which simply cannot digest complex carbohydrates. Thus, a healthy plant is no longer seen as food to them. The stronger, healthier, and more complete the plant becomes, the more resistant it is to disease and pests. Eventually transferring the excess energy (from not fighting off disease and attacks from pests) into fats or essential oils.