Progress report for FNE23-059
Project Information
This project seeks to reduce on-farm food loss while creating additional income streams for small-scale seed producers. Our objectives are:
1) to quantify the edible food loss generated by small-scale seed production on our farm.
2) to develop added-value products, compatible with our seed production practices, that can reduce the quantity of wasted food
3) to measure the additional inputs of labor and other resources required to create these added-value products.
This project aims to address two problems faced by small-scale vegetable seed growers, the excessive quantities of food waste created during processing of certain crops, and financial insecurity in seed production.
Food Waste: In seed production, many crops are harvested for seed long after they would be considered market ready. But others, crops like tomatoes, peppers, winter squash, and melons, are all harvested for seed at market maturity. Once the seeds are extracted, large quantities of the fruit are left over as a by-product. The leftover flesh is edible, but not usable as food unless processed in a food safe way. For these crops, food loss is an overlooked and accepted part of vegetable seed production. On my farm last year, I estimate that we composted 50lbs of edible tomato waste every week from a single 100-ft row.
Financial Insecurity: In addition to the financial insecurity inherent in all farming, seed producers face additional economic obstacles and these challenges are amplified for small-scale growers. The long, slow, timeline of seed production means that growers must often wait until the end of the season before making any money for their efforts. This is not only a cash flow issue, it results in a larger potential risk to the farmers if a seed crop fails late in the season or in post-harvest. Additionally, seed farmers that supply wholesale seed to seed companies are subject to incredibly low prices for their crops, resulting in slim margins for farmers. For example, in my experience with several mid-size seed companies that offer wholesale contracts to small growers, a farmer will only make $400-500 for pound of tomato seed. Considering that it may require a couple hundred dedicated row feet to supply this amount of tomato seed, these prices are not sufficient to support the labor required in seed processing.
To address both of these issues, we propose to create added value products that will utilize the waste products of seed processing to create an additional stream of income for seed farmers.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
Research
Update, July 2024: Past year has been spent refining methodologies for farm treatments and kitchen treatments. Plan is to begin data collection Aug 1, 2024, and continue through frost.
This project will focus on the waste reduction and value-added potential of three crops, tomatoes, peppers and winter squash. For our research, we will measure three types of data, 1) waste generation/diversion, which will be measured by weight, 2) labor which will be measured by recording hours, and 3) production cost per product, calculated based on labor, ingredients, packaging and overhead. These data types will be collected for two separate treatments: the Farm Treatment Group, for crops processed on-farm for seed production only, and the Kitchen Treatment Group, for crops processed in the commercial kitchen, in accordance to food safety best practices, for seed and value-added production.
In 2023, Sistah Seeds plans to grow 400 row feet of tomatoes, 500 row feet of peppers, and 600 row feet of winter squash. After each weekly harvest, produce will be divided equally by weight into the two treatment groups.
Tomatoes
Farm Treatment
- Tomatoes will be crushed under foot or in a grinder
- Crushed tomatoes will be fermented
- After fermentation, pulp will be poured off into a cheesecloth and allowed to drain in the farm fridge for 24 hours.
- Pulp will be weighed and composted
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
Kitchen Treatment
- Tomatoes will be transported to a commercial kitchen
- Tomatoes will be washed according to food safety guidelines
- To extract seeds, the tomatoes will be cut and passed through a tomato mill
- Tomato juice will be weighed
- Juiced tomatoes may be stored in industrial freezer for up to a month before further processing.
- To make added-value products, tomatoes may be cooked further according the recipe created by the Kitchen Coordinator.
- Any tomato juice not used to create added value products will be weighed again and composted.
- Products will be canned, bottled or bagged.
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
Peppers
Farm Treatment
- To extract seeds, peppers may be crushed under foot or in a grinder.
- Crushed peppers are hosed over a screen to separate the seeds
- Pepper flesh will be drained of excess water for 12 hours in the farm fridge
- Pepper flesh will be weighed and composted
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
Kitchen Treatment
- Peppers will be transported to a commercial kitchen
- Peppers will be washed according to food safety guidelines
- To extract seeds, peppers will be macerated in a food processor or using an immersion blender.
- Macerated peppers will be rinsed over a screen to separate the seeds
- Pepper flesh will be drained of excess water for 12 hours in the fridge
- Pepper flesh will be weighed
- Peppers may be stored in industrial refrigerator/ freezer for up to a month before further processing. To make added-value products, peppers may be pureed, dehydrated, frozen, stewed, or otherwise, according the recipe created by the Kitchen Coordinator.
- Any pepper flesh not used to create added value products will be weighed again and composted.
- Products will be canned, bottled or bagged.
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
Squash
Farm Treatment
- Squash will be cut open with a knife and seeds will be scooped out manually
- Squash flesh will be weighed and composted
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
Kitchen Treatment
- Squash will be transported to commercial kitchen
- Squash will be washed according to food safety guidelines
- Squash will be cut open with a knife and seeds will be scooped out manually
- Squash flesh will be weighed
- To make added-value products, squash may be pureed, dehydrated, baked, frozen, or otherwise, according the recipe created by the Kitchen Coordinator.
- Any squash flesh not used to make added-value products will be weighed again and composted.
- Products may be stored in refrigerator/ freezer for up to a month before being canned or bagged.
For all post-harvest steps, labor hours will be tracked and categorized by activity.
For all crops, to determine the production cost per product, we will add the costs of labor, ingredients, materials and overhead used for each type of product, and divide by the number of individual products made of each type.