Farms.com Home  › News

Cheers to freshness pioneers on National Farmer’s Day.

Imagine biting into an apple that's been sitting on your kitchen counter for days, but it's still as crisp as ever. Sounds like magic, right? Well, thanks to Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler, it's science. 

As we gear up for National Farmer’s Day on Oct. 12, let's chat about these two brilliant minds. They discovered something super cool called 1-methylcyclopropene, but let’s keep it simple and call it 1-MCP. 

Now, this might sound geeky, but 1-MCP is a lifesaver for fruits, veggies, and even those pretty flowers you love. It fights off ethylene, which is like the "aging potion" for produce. Because of 1-MCP, our favorite greens and blooms can stay fresh and fabulous for longer. That means fewer sad, wilted salads and more bright, cheerful daisies. 

And guess what? This discovery is a big win for sellers too. They get more time to sell their produce, and it can travel farther without going bad. 

So, on this National Farmer’s Day, let’s send a big thank-you to Sylvia and Edward. Without them, freshness just wouldn't be the same. 

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Trending Video

Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.