On this episode we are grateful to have Anna Knight. Her family has farmed citrus trees, and now berries and vegetables for five generations in Redlands, CA. Their farm has partnered with School Food Professionals to support local students for two decades. For Anna, the large purchases schools make from her farm enabled her family to pay for her and her brother’s college education. Her mission is to ensure that small family farms in her community can continue to operate and thrive in perpetuity.

We are having this conversation at Anna’s Orange Grove outside of LA. Anna and I met when she was a guest speaker at Alice Waters Farm to School event last October at the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

Please visit our website https://eatbetterfoodtoday.com for this week's recipe, interviews, books, research, videos.

Look for information on Anna Knight at https://oldgroveorange.com

Other Mentions www.ecoliteracy.org www.farmpreneurs.org www.edibleschoolyard.com www.caff.org

What’s In Season https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/

Cleveland Kitchen: https://www.clevelandkitchen.com/

Segment Notes:

Breakfast 1:46

Five Generations 2:18

- Many decades ago farmers markets were illegal

- 115 Year Old Trees in the Grove – sweeter

First Career was Not Farming – by Design 7:24

- College then Investment Banking for 10 years

- But “that work did not fill my cup”

What is Farm to School 11:26

- San Bernardino County 80% of farmers make $50K or less

- Farmer paid $1 for 50lbs that sell retail for $70

- Eliminate distribution time and cost and your picking oranges, strawberries at peak ripeness, flavor, nutrition and delivering to schools the next day

- Dealing with seasonality

- Universal School Meals – it takes time to get to local

- Place for small, medium and large farms – hopefully all producing regeneratively some day

Center for Eco-Literacy, Farmpreneurs 26:31

- Partnering with the Community Alliance for Family Farms, the Alice Waters Institute

- Farmpreneurs is like business school for farmers, especially small and medium farms

Vegetable SuperPowers: Citrus for a Healthier Heart 33:24

Regionalized Food, Farmer Food Hubs 36:07

- Old Grove Orange is the name of her farm and the local Food Hub of 27 farmers

o Variety of produce with Shared resources – invoicing, cold storage, pickers, truckers

Growing Interest in Healthy Food – Visit a Farm! 40:48

- Nutrition, farming, economics, taste and being disconnected from our food origins

First Step to Healthier Food 45:00

- Support Your Farmers Market, Weekly

- Know Your Farmers, Visit their Farms

- Support CSAs

- Show up at School Board meetings and ask for local

Local supports Better Climate 49:51

- Adapted and pulled out 14 acres of Kiwi fruit and replaced with blackberries

- Oct-2023 to Aug 2024 not allowed to sell produce from the farm due to Oriental Fruit Flies

o Small farms had to close

- Small organic, regenerative farm can help improve them climate

The Recipe: Citrius Salad 55:27

This Podcast is a production of Sante Strategies, LLC. Sante translated is - Health Means Everything.

This is the company I have started to begin this health and longevity journey, focused on food.

Disclaimer: We are sharing our experiences on this Podcast. Please be sure to consult a medical professional.