Organic Foods Take Root in Albuquerque
Published Jul 07, 2009
Lamb loin chops with asparagus is a specialty at The Artichoke Cafe, a health-conscious restaurant in Albuquerque.
It’s true: Not all cauliflower is white, not all tomatoes are red, not all carrots are orange.
Central New Mexico is experiencing a big growth trend toward organic farming and gardening. The trend can be seen in the colorful produce on display at local farmers’ markets, and in restaurants that use organic ingredients to prepare tasty dishes.
“More and more folks here in Central New Mexico are choosing to eat healthier foods like spinach, green beans, grapefruit and so on,” says Monte Skarsgard, owner and farm manager at Los Poblanos Organics in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. “We also offer items such as grass-fed beef, grass-fed pork and pasture pork, and unusual items like alfalfa seeds and dragon fruit. We feature good-for-you products that are fresh and delicious.”
Organic farming is classified as fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. Los Poblanos not only grows 75 different fruits and vegetables, but the 16-acre farm also provides an interesting service. Customers sign up on the farm’s Web site www.nmorganics.com and order specific items of food either every week or every two weeks.
“For example, a family might want three pounds of apples, five pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of beef and five pounds of leafy lettuce for the week, and that’s exactly what they will get,” Skarsgard says. “We started the farm in 2003 with 10 customers and now have 1,500. Our business gets bigger all the time.”
Lesser Waste, Better Taste
The on-demand food service also has the benefit of eliminating product waste. “Almost all grocery stores put out produce that they hope will be purchased, but if it isn’t, it goes to waste,” Skarsgard says. “Since we know specifically what our customers are ordering, we have less than 1 percent waste weekly.”
And if Los Poblanos does not stock a specific item that a customer requests, it will ship in additional fresh produce from California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas.
“We are doing well even in tough times because people are tending to eat at home more, so our sales have actually been increasing,” Skarsgard says. “Customers can pick up their weekly orders at our farm, or we also offer home delivery at an additional $4.95 a week. Organics are becoming more and more popular all the time.”
One of the Central New Mexico restaurants choosing organic produce to prepare dishes is the Artichoke Café in Albuquerque. Executive chef Pat Keene concocts a number of unusual dishes that feature organically grown ingredients.
“The baby greens in our salads are all organic, and the chicken we serve is all free range and hormone free,” she says. “One of our most popular nighttime dishes is a roasted organic chicken breast over a red wine risotto, with sides of organic radicchio and chantelle mushrooms. Organic food tastes better, so I prepare dishes with those products whenever possible.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Staff
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