Food - A Perishable and Preservable Product

A couple of things regarding some of your food going by. Part of the experience known as FFT is to better appreciate the challenges of being not only a consumer of local, seasonal produce but to also experience some of the challenges associated with being a producer.
One of the responsibilities that may be new to some of you is the post harvest handling of produce.
Within most of agriculture, all post harvest handling is done by the grower and retailer. The consumer sees and buys only the best, already graded and cured product. The items that do not make it through this process and to market are either fed out, sold at discount, diverted to the canning industry, left to rot in the field, or composted.
Our project offers the opportunity to let very little go to waste, thus maximizing effort and resources.
So don't be surprised when things start to go by. A percentage always does and always will.
The trick is to manage these percentages the best we can. Starting with recommended varieties for our region with storage quality, and following that with proper curing techniques and optimal storage conditions will help us manage this process effectively.
Now, this is not to say that there aren't factors out of everyones control. Consider our wet summer. Frequent showers and the lack of sun during crucial periods, such as when alliums are finishing in the field, can make curing and storage difficult and in some cases impossible.
The real safety net in this system is continual quality control and the willingness to eat and or process those things that need to be used first.
In most realms of agriculture, the inherent risk of handling a perishable product is left to the producers and sellers. Operating on speculation, they have little option when faced with spoilage.
At least in our case, we can still eat the unmarketable.
There is usually a way to deal with any item that is starting to go by, either individually or in mass. If you are having trouble in dealing with anything in particular, don't hesitate to ask for some assistance in coming up with a solution for preservation.
Thanks for doing your part.