An Interview with Rex Harrill
by Suze Fisher
Presented with
permission from the Weston A. Price Foundation,
www.westonaprice.org
where this article originally appeared.
Rex Harrill of Keedysville, Maryland has been farming
and gardening for the better part of thirty years.
Seventeen years ago he moved to a 16-acre farm and
started a new garden.
In the first few years his crops were tasteless
and ridden with spittle bugs, caterpillars and several
other garden pests. Yet his previous garden had
produced delicious, pest-resistant crops, although
he didn’t know why at the time. Only later
did he realize he’d inherited a garden with
exceptional soil fertility at his previous farm.
But after two years of bitter turnips, radishes
and other crops from his new garden, Rex set out
to find answers. That’s when he came across
a book called The Anatomy of Life & Energy
in Agriculture by Dr. Arden Andersen. He’d
finally found what he’d been seeking--a program
that developed fertile soil which in turn produced
delicious nutrient-dense crops that were resistant
to pests, weeds and disease, year after year. Rex
also learned from Dr. Andersen that the brix level
of the crop correlated with its nutrient-density--that
brix was a valuable measurement in determining the
nutritional value of the crop. Ever since then,
Rex has followed a high-brix gardening approach,
strongly influenced by the works of Dr. Andersen
along with those of Dr. William Albrecht, Dr. Carey
Reams and Dr. Dan Skow.
Suze: Rex, can you explain what
Brix is? Most people I’ve spoken to about
Brix insist that it’s only a measure of a
plant’s sugar content. Is this true?
Rex: I’ve come across many
ways to dispel that "only sugar" notion.
A favorite is to sit a Doubting Thomas on my back
porch and pour him a glass of ordinary store-bought
orange juice. Once he has sipped a little, I add
a spoonful of sugar to his glass. Most people quickly
understand that sugar is not what makes orange juice
taste good--most report that the added sugar just
makes the orange juice taste yucky. And it certainly
does. The point is that adding the sugar raises
the apparent "Brix," but it does nothing
for the taste. True Brix measures a combination
of sugar, amino acids, oils, proteins, flavonoids,
minerals and other goodies. Sugar is merely one
of the components of Brix. This same scenario holds
for any fresh juice you wish to name.
Interestingly, the above doesn’t hold true
for the artificial juices made mostly from chemicals,
sugar, and water. Most of them do taste a little
better if you add plain sugar.
Suze: By "fresh juice"
do you mean the sap of any plant?
Rex: Fresh juice means liquid
squeezed from a fruit. Be warned that much orange,
apple, and other fruit juice is reconstituted from
concentrate. Reconstituting can lead to false results.
For instance, if you were to use 2 cans of water
(instead of the recommended 3) when preparing frozen
orange juice, you would get a terrific high "Brix"
reading but not a true Brix reading. Many people
are unaware of the fact that the juice they buy
in a carton at the grocery store was once in a very
concentrated state so that it could be cheaply shipped
from another country. If the company reconstituting
the juice adds too much water, you get lower "Brix."
If they don’t add enough water, you get higher
"Brix." Neither is true Brix. To be safe,
I guess it is better to use the word "sap"
for Brix test samples. Sap is the juice squeezed
out of the leaves, stems, green fruit or roots of
a live plant.
Suze: How is Brix measured?
| |
 |
| |
Refractometer (sometimes
called a "brix meter") |
Rex: The Brix test requires a
refractometer. For a consumer to conduct a Brix
test, they need a few drops of sap (juice) squeezed
from the part of any plant that they wish to eat.
In other words, they need to squeeze a small piece
of lemon, orange, apple, etc., between their fingers
and drop the juice onto their refractometer prism.
Harder produce such as cabbage, lettuce, carrots
and pears often requires a garlic press or similar
tool.
When the drops fall on the prism, you close the
cover plate to spread it out and then look through
the viewing end of the instrument where you will
see an etched scale generally calibrated in 0-30
or 0-32 degrees Brix. Just as a pencil appears bent
when placed in a beaker of water, the light passing
through the plant juice droplet is bent so that
a clear line is shown against the scaled background.
The amount of bending is directly related to the
richness of the plant juice (richer juice bends
the light more).
Centuries of wine making and working with other
fruits and vegetables have always shown a direct
relationship between higher Brix numbers and higher
quality. This higher quality is reflected in superior
taste. The process is somewhat altered for the gardener
or farmer in that they test the leaf of the growing
plant much earlier and are therefore afforded the
opportunity to correct soil deficiencies before
the crop matures. The gardener or farmer also benefits
in that they soon learn that any crop with 12 or
better leaf Brix will not be bothered by insect
pests.
High-Brix Crops are Pest-Resistant
Rodney Heinen is a farmer and agricultural
consultant in Wetmoe, Kansas, in the heart
of alfalfa-growing country. As a farmer, he’d
been interested in nutrient-dense agriculture
for several years when he came across International
Agrilabs, a company that promotes Reams’
biological approach to farming. "Everything
I’d been thinking about [in relation
to growing nutrient dense crops] made sense
when I talked to them," he reports. Thus,
things began to fall into place for Rodney’s
growing program after he began implementing
the Reams program under the tutelage of International
Agrilabs. Rodney’s been growing high-Brix
crops of alfalfa, wheat, timothy and Bermuda
grasses for dairy cattle and horses ever since.
Six years ago, when Rodney moved to his current
farm, his next-door neighbor told him he’d
regret it. The farm and soil were in bad shape.
But things didn’t quite work out as
his neighbor predicted. Rodney recalls an
incident in the summer of 2003 when his neighbor’s
conventionally-grown alfalfa crops were wiped
out by grasshoppers. His neighbor used conventional
fertilizers and sprayed both pesticides and
herbicides on his crop. Rodney sprayed nothing
on his crops--he just used Reams methods and
fertilizers to grow high-Brix crops. One day
his neighbor stood on the border of Rodney’s
alfalfa crops and his own. He then took three
steps into his own field and was immediately
swarmed by grasshoppers. He stepped back into
Rodney’s field and the grasshoppers
hopped off him. He stepped back into his own
field and was immediately covered with the
insects once again. He repeated this five
times with Rodney and several others witnessing.
Each time the same thing happened. He was
covered with grasshoppers when he stepped
into his own field, but they hopped off him
when he stepped back into Rodney’s field.
Both fields contained the same variety of
alfalfa. The major difference was the higher
fertility of Rodney’s soil. His alfalfa
crops were on average 12-14 Brix (his highest
Brixed at 19) while his neighbor’s crop
was on average 3-4 Brix. It was Rodney’s
best year for growing alfalfa, and his neighbor’s
worst.
|
Suze: According to your website
(www.crossroads.ws/Brixbook/BBook.htm),
it was Carey Reams who first developed the refractive
index of crop juices--a chart that gives "poor,"
"average," "good" and "excellent"
ratings for produce based on its Brix level. Who
was Reams and what was his contribution to high-Brix
farming?
Rex: Dr. Carey A. Reams was a
Florida native who owned a rather large agricultural
engineering firm and lab in the Orlando area from
1931 to 1968. When he "retired," he only
did so to further his research and travel the country
giving seminars and lectures. During his college
years, Reams discovered that there were huge disparities
in the mineral makeup of fruits and vegetables--depending
on how and where they were grown.
Reams developed a following of farmers because
they found that his methods produced crops of far
superior quality. For many years, citrus and grape
growers had used the Brix measurement to evaluate
the quality of their produce. Reams took that knowledge
and formulated a Brix chart, which covers most of
the common fruits, vegetables and forage crops.
Sometime shortly after the founding of Acres
USA, Reams noticed that while the paper’s
contributors and readers talked about higher quality
farm production, no one had quantified the process.
One day Reams walked into the editor’s office
and handed him a copy of his Brix chart. The reverberations
have been felt from one end of agriculture to the
other.
Suze: I understand that energetics
was at the heart of Ream’s biological farming
approach. Can you explain what that is?
Rex: The genius of Reams-style
farming is that he devised a way to calculate the
energy released when various fertilizers worked
their way down to equilibrium. For instance, Reams
didn’t suggest that his clients simply scatter
so many pounds (or so many tons) of ammonium sulfate
on an acre of land. Reams taught his students how
to calculate the energy that would be given up by
a single molecule of ammonium and then determine
exactly how many pounds of that, or any other fertilizer,
to apply. In conventional farming fertilizer excesses
are generally wasted and ultimately go off the land
into the ground water, while shortages create a
limited crop yield. Reams-style farming not only
creates superior output, it is also very economical
because any fertilizer applied is used by the plants,
not lost. Dr. Dan Skow is probably the best known
teacher currently explaining this desperately needed
scientific aspect of agriculture to students around
the country.
To me, Brix is a measure of energy. A high-Brix
plant emits a far superior energetic electromagnetic
spectrum than a low-Brix specimen. Insects "see"
in this range and they "attack" plants
with the weakest emanations. When the grower finally
understands that all that talk about how healthy
plants "resist" insects is really another
way of saying that the strongest plants don’t
attract insects in the first place, they are on
the road to understanding Reams agriculture. A refractometer
is merely a way for us to see by proxy what insects
see with their eyes.
Cows Eat Half the Amount of
High-Brix Grass
Merlin Nussbaum from Lancaster Ag Products
has been a farmer for 20 years, and is now
an agricultural consultant in Bird-in-Hand,
in the heart of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
Like Rex Harrill, he uses a combination Reams-Albrecht
farming approach. Nussbaum works with many
greenhouse farmers in his area, as well as
farms growing livestock feed. His experience
with high-Brix crops mirrors that of Rodney
Heinen in terms of pest-resistance. Nussbaum
recalls a field of alfalfa a few years ago
that Brixed at 14-16. (Generally, plants measuring
12 Brix and above are observed to be pest-resistant.)
Nussbaum reports that leafhoppers congregated
on the edge of that field, but just wouldn’t
go in.
According to Nussbaum, there are several
other advantages to high-Brix crops, aside
from the most important fact that they are
nutritionally superior:
- His greenhouse clients can grow high
Brix crops in the same soil, without rotational
growing, year after year
- His asparagus, at 12-16 Brix, is so sweet
it can be eaten right out of the field.
- He’s observed that cows eat only
half the amount of high Brix grass than
when they eat low Brix grass. Nussbaum’s
pasture Brix is around 19, which includes
timothy, Bermuda, rye and fescue grasses.
However, his alfalfa Brix were between 24-28.
22 Brix is considered to be "excellent"
quality alfalfa.
- Nussbaum has found that high Brix pasture
increases milk production.
- The milk is yellower (likely due to increased
carotene content in the high Brix grass)
and his clients’ vet bills have decreased
substantially.
- His greenhouse clients can make a considerable
amount of income a year with a 100 x 30
foot greenhouse.
|
Suze: How did you become involved
in biologically friendly high-Brix farming?
Rex: For me it started with a
turnip. I was raised on a farm and had always enjoyed
sweet turnips, but I had no idea that there were
poor, good and great turnips. In 1987 I had to move
away from a delightful turnip-friendly garden of
many years standing and start a new one at my current
place. Those first turnips I grew tasted awful.
Not only were they terrible in the mouth, but they
were attacked by hordes of bugs, including bugs
I had never seen before. This was before the Internet,
but I started researching and came across a little
book by Dr. Arden Andersen which gave a basic table
of Brix values and what they meant to various crops.
As measuring Brix called for a refractometer, I
visited a winemaker friend and he told me how to
get one.
I was quite excited the day the instrument came.
I pulled one of those bug-eaten turnips and took
it to the kitchen. The 3.5 Brix reading told me
exactly what I needed to know. A few days later
I made the rounds at the local farmer’s market
and bought samples from every one who sold turnips.
It didn’t take me too long back home to realize
that the sweet turnips I liked so much had to measure
about 8-9 Brix, or even higher. I haven’t
looked back since then. The ace is that when you
finally get your soil good enough to grow higher-Brix
turnips, the bugs don’t seem interested.
Suze: Do you follow Reams’
Biological farming approach?
Rex: I certainly do. Dr. Andersen
is an open disciple of the Reams approach as am
I. The Reams program leads to outstanding fruit
and vegetable quality at the same time that it creates
significantly increased yield. I simply cannot imagine
trying to grow produce any other way. The Reams
program, as furthered by Andersen, lays a well-marked
path toward higher quantities of higher quality
food and feedstuffs for both man and animal.
Suze: Can you explain what the
Reams approach is? What does it entail?
Rex: Many years ago I approached
Jay McCaman, a mid-west consultant with that same
question. Today, people come to me for simplified
explanations of the Reams approach to farming. As
I’ve had to spend 15 years trying to master
even a few of the fundamentals, I do feel sorely
inadequate to provide a decent response to your
question in "25 words or less." However,
I will try as long as we can keep one Reams mandate
in sight: higher Brix points to higher quality.
Although Reams viewed agriculture entirely as
an energetic process, the basic Reams program requires
that cropland have the following water-soluble available
mineral elements per acre in place for a starting
point. This is if you are truly looking for high
quality (high Brix) and very high yield.
4000 pounds calcium
400 pounds magnesium
400 pounds phosphate
200 pounds potassium
40 pounds nitrate nitrogen
40 pounds ammonia nitrogen
The best system he found for many farmers involved
putting down a copious supply of high-calcium lime,
soft rock phosphate, and chicken manure. The reader
must understand that although it has similar overtones,
this "formula" is not the same as the
quality improvement methods suggested by Professor
Albrecht, who merely wanted the calcium, magnesium,
phosphate, potassium, etc. in a certain ratio of
"cation exchange capacity" or CEC.
Suze: What makes the minerals
available to the plant?
Rex: Many factors. First is the
fineness of the mineral supplements added. A limestone
boulder is unavailable whereas the same boulder
pulverized is available. In the old days, local
farmers built kilns to burn the boulders until they
turned to dust. Today the job of pulverizing is
done by machinery.
Another key factor that makes minerals available
is micro-organisms in the soil. These are what make
the minerals available to the plant. Plants can
assimilate very few minerals directly. Plowed in
cover crops, compost, molasses, other organic matter
or even raw garbage dug in will all support microbial
life in the soil. As Professor Albrecht said over
and over, "The microbes feast first at the
table." Dr. Reams suggested that you wait at
least two weeks to plant seeds after plowing in
food for the microbes.
The pH of the soil has a lot to do with mineral
availability. Many minerals are available only in
a narrow pH range, which for most plants is around
6.4.
The Brix of the plant is also important. Low-Brix
plants can’t develop the strong extraction
fluids to pull minerals from the soil.
As a plant matures, it requires more and more
soil energy to extract nutrients from the soil.
Reams continually stressed the fact that while a
baby seedling had minimal daily nutrient needs from
the soil, a mature plant drawing down heavily was
an entirely different story. He taught that for
a plant to bear a full crop of high quality produce
it must have adequate soil energy (called "ERGS"
or Energy Released per Gram per Second) available
to "set" the high-quality crop and then
"bring it home." ERGS is merely a measurement
of the ionic conductivity of the soil expressed
as microSiemens and directly measured with an ordinary
conductivity meter. The point is that only healthy
soils with teeming bacterial life and full mineral
availability can "keep up" when the plant
roots are most demanding.
This is where foliar feeding comes in. Most farmers
shifting to the Reams methods report for the first
few years that they either cannot raise the Brix
to the high quality levels needed or, if they do
get there, they report it is tough to keep the Brix
high. For most people, foliar feeding serves as
a crutch until they get their soil in tip-top shape.
A few, particularly those growing in such areas
as Florida sand, must forever rely quite heavily
on foliar feeding because their sandy soil simply
cannot hold the full ration of minerals required.
An important point here is the fact that foliar
feeds are formulated as both general tonics for
use by the novice and as very specialized mixtures
for use by the expert who wishes to compensate for
identified plant or soil deficiencies.
Reams insisted that his students had to master
wet chemistry test methods so that they could run
tests if, when, and as needed. For instance, he
pointed out that if the farmer couldn’t be
sure they had the 40 pounds nitrate and 40 pounds
ammonium at each moment required by the plant, the
farmer stood a good chance of a severely limited
harvest. He also reiterated thousands of times that
the plant did not care whether the needed nitrogen
or other substance came from "organic"
sources or from a chemical such as calcium nitrate.
His reasoning was simple: if the applied fertility
agent raised Brix, it was what the plant needed.
On the other hand, if the Brix stayed the same or
fell, the material was either not needed, detrimental
or in a form the plant could not use.
This system works and works well. Reams was always
quick to calculate the future harvest, at whatever
quality level desired, and he did this mostly by
knowing how much available phosphate was in the
soil.
Bob Pike, a Reams protégé, later
developed a system that used high-grade electronic
meters which was much faster than the original wet
chemistry analysis. At its core, Pike’s system
first evaluates the Brix level of the growing plant
and, should that not be high enough, then measures
the pH and conductivity of the plant sap. Then,
by applying a chart developed by Bruce Tainio, a
West Coast researcher and consultant, the farmer
can program a foliar feed that will help the crop
get back on track toward the highest Brix and the
highest yield.
There is more to it of course. For instance, Pike
found that he had to monitor the soil ERGS both
before planting and during the growth phases. His
method also requires that the soil pH be adjusted
to the optimum 6.4 (acknowledged by almost all consultants
as the best). Finally, Pike teaches that the old-farmer
nemesis of hardpan will not occur if the farmer
keeps his calcium and magnesium in his soil in the
proper ratio. This can be readily determined at
any season by probing with a soil penetrometer.
So, the Pike methods that I follow, and which
I consider so true to the Reams call for high Brix
along with good yield, are as follows:
- Conduct an Albrecht-style soil evaluation in
the fall and apply amendments as needed.
- Couple this with a broad-spectrum trace element
application.
- Plant a thick winter cover crop, such as annual
rye for pasture or compost on your home garden,
to protect the soil and build organic matter.
- Monitor and adjust the soil ERGS before planting
and during crop growth.
- Monitor and adjust the soil pH before planting
and during crop growth.
- Track the Brix, sap pH, and sap conductivity
of the growing crop so as to apply just the right
foliar feed if the Brix does not stay in the desired
range.
One important point: I have learned by bitter
experience that if I and 1000 other consultants
calculate that the plant needs precisely thus as
a foliar feed, but the Brix does not rise,
then we were all wrong. Obviously, our calculations
would not be for naught because we would at that
point at least know one foliar combination that
is wrong. There could not be a clearer case of "the
proof is in the pudding" than the situation
where one labors mightily to devise exactly the
right foliar spray and the plant softly says, by
way of not gaining Brix, "Sorry, but that is
not the right mixture I need at this time."
And, as in all of science, this is the point where
art must take its turn. The experienced consultant
starts reaching for a few tricks of his trade and
finally makes the connection that shoots that Brix
up where it should be.
Brix Certification Programming
in the Works
John Marler of Bellevue Washington, president
of Reunion Process company, a company that designs
and constructs facilities for processing organic
materials into fertilizers, and vice president
of Perfect Blend organic fertilizer, is developing
a Brix certification program designed to enable
farmers to receive high prices for their high
Brix produce. It will be a cooperative, non-profit
share-owned entity that Marler envisions will
bootstrap the agricultural industry into growing
high Brix crops. According to Marler, the USDA
standards for produce quality measure size and
color only, with no criteria for nutritional
quality. The Brix certification program will
be just the opposite with nutritional density
being the primary criterion. Marler expects
the certification program to get underway sometime
in 2005. Marler’s experience with high
Brix produce mirrors that of others involved
in high Brix farming--animals always choose
high Brix feedstuffs over lower Brix, bugs don’t
like to enter fields of high Brix crops and
the taste is remarkable. Marler explains that
people are so often amazed at the taste when
they try their first high Brix tomato, or other
high Brix fruit or veggie. However, Marler estimates
that only about 5-10 percent of U.S. produce
is currently high Brix. |
Suze: Do you measure the nutritional
quality of your crops with other tests besides their
Brix value?
Rex: Once I mastered the Brix
concept, I had little reason to be concerned with
expensive chemical analysis. Although I suspect
there are some valid chemical analyses performed
here and there, the higher-Brix-equals-higher-quality
concept renders most analysis redundant.
Suze: Can you tell us more about
Dr. Andersen? Has Dr. Andersen modified the Reams
approach along the way?
Rex: Arden Andersen earned a PhD
in plant physiology. His intent, as was the intent
of Dr. Reams, was to help revolutionize agriculture
by showing farmers how to grow superior crops. When
Dr. Andersen realized that the medical establishment,
hooked as it is on drugs, did not believe that the
food we eat must be of high quality for us to maintain
good health, he returned to school and became a
doctor of osteopathy. His thought was that perhaps
his message would be better heard if he maintained
both a practice of medicine and, simultaneously,
a practice of farm consulting. Dr. Andersen closely
adheres to the path first blazed by Dr. Reams.
I’m amused when I hear that this person
or that person has "modified" the Reams
approach. No one modifies the Reams approach, simply
because the basic message that higher Brix equals
higher quality is always central. However, it is
fair to observe that although different practitioners
use different methods, they all strive to achieve
higher Brix. For instance, I follow the Pike method
of using electronic meters for soil and plant evaluation
instead of Andersen’s preferred messy wet
chemistry methods. The goal, purpose, and result
is always the same: higher Brix.
While non-farmers sometimes like to imagine that
the best farmers have access to secret or esoteric
knowledge, nothing could be further from the truth.
Plants have needs such as proper pH, soil fertility
and moisture, and the farmer who best meets those
needs will find his plants doing well. The programs
that Reams worked out over 60 years of agricultural
engineering perform exceptionally well even though
they are often treated with disdain by a chemical
industry that cannot bear the thought of farmers
producing abundant, high quality crops without the
need for toxic rescue chemicals.
Reducing Fungicides is Par
for the Course
Chris Canby, a golf course manager in St.
Louis, Missouri, has used Reams’ approach
on his golf greens since 1996. Canby reports
that when he implemented the full Reams program,
he was able to reduce the annual fungicide
applications on his golf green from 25 down
to 3. Like some of the other high-Brix farmers,
Canby uses a Reams/Albrecht approach with
his own organic garden.
|
Suze: What characterizes low-Brix
plants as opposed to high-Brix ones?
Rex: I find low-Brix plants and
their produce to be watery, poor tasting, attractive
to insect pests, and quick to mold or rot. But high-Brix
produce not only has a robust taste, it also lasts
remarkably well. In all sincerity I can tell you
that the best produce simply will not rot. It will
dehydrate, but it adamantly refuses to rot. Please
understand that about 90-95 percent of the produce
in ordinary commercial channels is fairly low Brix.
Suze: There seems to be a widely
held notion that organic food is more nutrient-dense
than non-organic food. Sometimes it’s even
advertised as such. However, I’ve seen you
argue that this is not the case. Can you explain?
Rex: I’ve tested food from
dozens of organic farms and rarely found Brix readings
higher than the Brix readings of ordinary commercial
produce at your favorite supermarket. Yes, organic
food is somewhat safer in that it doesn’t
get exposed to pesticides . However, the only taste
differences I’ve ever found were attributed
to it being local and, of course, considerably fresher
than supermarket fare. To me, that lack of superior
taste marks the produce as lower nutrition.
There are exceptions. The most notable was back
when the late Ward Sinclair, quite a name in organic
circles, was growing produce in Pennsylvania. Ward
perfected a technique of tilling alternating strips
that in essence had him growing in fresh ground
each year. That technique allowed him to grow absolutely
delicious 9-9.5 Brix celery when all his organic
competitors’ celery was 4-5 Brix. I made many
a trip to his farm to get a week’s supply
of his celery because I didn’t grow celery
and Ward’s was the best. My grandkids loved
to eat it like candy. I still miss Ward all these
years later.
Ward’s methods bring to mind the ancient
technique of "slash and burn." Indigenous
peoples found they could burn out a section of forest
or grassland sward and grow superb, bug-free crops
that would dehydrate in storage instead of rot--at
least they could grow for a season or two. The minerals
released by burning created an environment that
crops love. Once the high-Brix characteristics went
away and bugs invaded, the natives simply moved
to a new area and started over. What Ward Sinclair
did was use micro-organisms to "burn"
organic material on the fresh land. Ward, blessed
with plenty of land, "slashed" new strips
each year with a tractor-mounted roto-tiller and
grew superior crops while the old strips returned
to grass and "healed." He also added standard
organic supplements, but mostly to the healing strips,
not the strips currently being harvested. If I had
no other way to judge crops, I would always buy
from a grower who planted in fresh strips each year.
Suze: How about biodynamic produce--is
it generally high Brix? Please explain.
Rex: I love biodynamic growing
and growers. I love all earth-friendly agriculture.
However, all the biodynamic produce I’ve ever
measured was the about the same as organic. If there
is a difference in their produce, it is not measurable
with Brix. What is there to explain? Something is
either high-Brix or it isn’t.
Suze: Do you believe that organic
and biodynamic farming approaches can produce high
Brix food? If so, how would organic and biodynamic
farmers go about raising the Brix of their food?
Is there anything in these farming approaches that
you think is impeding them from producing high Brix
crops?
Rex: As I said, I love all earth-friendly
agriculture. Any organic or biodynamic farmer is
free to raise the Brix of their crops with no penalty
from their licensing organization.
Suze: Can you explain your theory
about low-Brix, low-nutrient foods "robbing"
the body of nutrients in a way similar to that of
processed foods?
Rex: Every scientific sort I’ve
ever talked to has agreed that it requires lots
of energy to digest food. There is a huge expenditure
of enzymes and other digestive fluids involved in
breaking down even the most simple food.
There is an old farmer’s saying: "You
can starve a horse to death quicker by feeding him
straw than by feeding him nothing at all."
That saying only buttresses the idea that a horse
trying to digest non-nutritive straw is going to
come up short as he wastefully expends whatever
digestive energy he had to start with. I think that
poor quality fruits and vegetables create a similar
situation in our bodies. It seems to me that when
our systems expend minerals, energy and enzymes
to break down "food" that doesn’t
even have enough value to replace what is expended,
then we will lose the battle for life at some point.
Suze: The name William Albrecht
resonates with many involved in the Weston A. Price
Foundation as Albrecht wrote a chapter in Price’s
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration entitled
"Food is Fabricated Soil Fertility." What
influence has Albrecht had, if any, on your farming
approach?
Rex: Professor Albrecht continues
to have much influence on my work. For instance,
even though I am retirement age and gradually "giving
up" my small farm, the Pike methods that I
follow call for an annual soil test to be sure the
basic minerals are in place in the right proportions.
If they are not, they need to be added before planting
the winter cover crop so they have time to work
their way into the soil life. For instance, crops
grown on land with more sodium than potassium were
not only sickly, but the animals raised in such
lands or fed such crops were also sickly. The whole
purpose is to achieve balance and enhance life,
that is, to create healthier soil. And I suspect
that you WAPFers deeply understand that healthier
soil leads to healthier plants and, ultimately,
healthier people.
Some people like to think that there is an either-or
choice to be made between Albrecht and Reams. If
such exists, I have been unable to find it. What
I have found is that well-executed Albrecht methods
produce good healthy crops and healthy animals.
What I have also found is that the Reams approach
can be applied independently or on top of the Albrecht
methods to produce truly superior crops and yields.
The Reams approach allows one to monitor the Brix
and actually do something if deficiencies appear
before the crop matures.
Suze: So what can consumers do
to locate high-Brix, nutrient-dense foods for themselves
and for their families?
Rex: The very first step is for
them to buy, beg, or borrow a refractometer and
educate themselves about what they are now eating.
Once they learn to correlate their sense of taste
to what they see in the refractometer screen, they
will understand they have to locate better food.
That is the easy part. The tough job is finding
the food. As time goes on they will migrate toward
better suppliers. They will learn to stockpile good
food when they find it. When I say "stockpile,"
I’m trying to get across the point that they
will buy a lot more of some higher-Brix food they
find because people are willing to eat the same
thing more days in a row when they know it is really
good. A few seekers of higher quality will share
what they have learned with a local grower friend
and suggest that they will pay more for higher Brix.
The family interested in better food will learn
how to mail order, barter and--most importantly--grow
some of their own. Locating better food is not something
you do once and forget. It becomes important to
continually learn which fruit stand has the best
items and which farm or farmette is worth a little
"drive in the country."
Suze: How can we use Brix to help
determine the quality of animal products such as
meat and milk?
Rex: I am sometimes accused of
"holding back" when I say that Brix doesn’t
seem all that applicable to me when it comes to
evaluating meat and milk. Certainly, I am the first
to admit that 15, 16, 17, or 18 Brix milk tastes
dramatically better than the ordinary 10-11 Brix
milk sold in stores or even off ordinary farms.
I’m also one of the first to say that I simply
love high-Brix milk. 16 or better Brix milk is simply
yummy. However, milk evaluation is a science in
itself and a commonly overlooked factor by many
consumers is the urea content of milk. MUN (Milk
Urea Nitrogen) testing of milk is used to detect
and control the overfeeding of protein to cows.
This overfeeding can cause urea spillage into the
milk. You can get a false Brix reading with too
much urea, just as you can get a false Brix reading
by adding sugar to orange juice.
If you know the farmer and know that he is not
forcing protein into his cows, then the Brix reading
is a valuable measure. Regular store-bought milk
has a Brix reading of 10-11; 15-20 is good. In fact,
20 is the highest recorded for milk.
In a somewhat similar vein, I have had various
people suggest that one could measure the "Brix"
of blood and thereby determine the quality of the
associated meat it came from. The big problem in
my mind is that blood can be thick or thin (concentrated
or not, dehydrated or not) and the refractometer
would not be able to adjust for that. So, no, I
don’t think Brix is applicable to meat evaluation.
But wait! There is an answer to this problem.
Simply measure the Brix of the pasture the animal
is feeding on! The pasture with the highest Brix
grass will produce both the better milk and the
better meat.
Suze: I’ve heard it said
many times that Brix is too simplistic to gauge
something as complex as the nutrient-density of
food. What is your response to this assertion?
Rex: The Brix concept is certainly
too simplistic for industrialized agriculture. They
would have you believe that all fruits and vegetables
are the same. Right in step with industry are the
Department of Agriculture standards which call for
size and color evaluation and nothing else. So I
can understand why they don’t want consumers
running around with an instrument in their hands
that would give them all the information they need
and the courage to reject lousy quality food. These
are the same people who think that your sense of
taste is too simplistic to measure the nutrient
density of food.
Quite frankly, I don’t trust any of those
"experts," whoever they may be. I do trust
my sense of taste. And I do trust children. So let
me tell you a story.
Many years ago I made the rounds of the local
farmers’ market and bought a cantaloupe from
every vendor. When I got home my daughter was there
with her two daughters, ages 10 and 3. I took the
cantaloupes out on the porch and cut them all in
half. I had a couple of 9 Brix losers and they immediately
went in the compost buckets (Brix measuring 7-9
is the tasteless melon you find on salad bars).
I ended up with several 11’s, several 13’s,
and a single 15. I called the girls out on the porch
and gave them their first chance to use a refractometer
to measure each of the fruits. Yes, little kids
can use a refractometer and they have no trouble
calling out the Brix number they see--if they know
how to read numbers. Anyway, I suggested they taste
samples as they went. I then found out that they
did not have any cantaloupe at home.
"OK girls," I said, "I’m going
to let you take one of these 11’s home."
"That’s not fair," they both shouted
out.
"OK--you can have all the 11’s and
one of the 13’s."
"Pops, you’re being mean!" they
shouted together.
"All right, already--you can have all the
11’s, all the 13’s and I’ll keep
just this one."
That, too, was a no-sale. I gave them spoons and
they wolfed down the 15. They then helped me carry
the 11’s out to the big compost pile. I was
left with one of the 13’s, but I have to admit
I secretly begrudged them that yummy 15.
So you have heard "experts" say that
Brix is too simplistic? I say let them say whatever
they want to say. When they get through talking,
start teaching them a little bit about nutrition.
Suze: I’ve also been told
by some farmers involved in other eco-friendly farming
approaches that Brix is too simplistic a measure
of food quality. These are experienced farmers and
consultants. How would you answer them, if any differently
from the agro-chemical crowd?
Rex: I have answered such challenges
many times with a question: "How complicated
do you really wish to make things?" You need
to understand that these challenges come from those
who haven’t quite figured out how to raise
the Brix of their crops. Can you imagine such challengers
deliberately discarding a higher-Brix sample of
their particular proprietary crops and eating a
lower-Brix sample grown the same way on the same
farm? These challengers have the same taste buds
as you and I do. They can tell the difference between
4 Brix lettuce and 10 Brix lettuce no matter how
it is grown. They can watch the cows march across
bitter low-Brix pasture and start grazing on sweet
higher-Brix pasture.
When I talk with such challengers, I never suggest
they abandon their proprietary growing methods.
I merely point out that they are free to improve
their methods so that they are growing higher quality.
If they are not interested in higher quality, that
is their problem and I lump them right in with the
chemical farmers who sell their own crops and buy
crops from a better farmer to feed to their own
livestock. As the old saying goes, to each his own.
That is the beauty of using a refractometer. They
can look and then decide whether they are willing
to ignore what they see. It’s their money
and they can eat low-Brix food if they wish. God
bless ‘em.
How I Grew High-Brix Turnips
Here’s what I did to get the Brix number
up in my turnips:
- Balance soil pH: I found that my soil
was too acidic, with a pH of 5.3. The ideal
pH for almost all crops is 6.4. In this
case, the right pH was achieved by adding
the right amount of high-calcium lime.
- Perform an Albrecht-type soil test and
add the major nutrients, phosphorus, nitrogen
and potassium, as needed.
- Drench the soil with a seaweed mixture
to supply adequate trace elements.
- Once the turnips were up and growing,
I Brixed the tiny leaves and foliar fed
by trial and error until the leaf Brix consistently
stayed above 12. Although there are hundreds
of high-grade foliars on the market, I got
good results with a 6/16/6 liquid foliar
from a company in Florida (that has since
gone out of business).
- I did leaf Brix tests throughout the
growing season, which indicated when it
was necessary to add "a bit of tonic."
- Harvest the world’s finest turnips!
|
Suze: On your BrixTalk list, you
recently wrote: "Maybe a future researcher
will be able to make his name by observing that
two vineyards producing 31 Brix grapes had significantly
contrasting Brix in the green stage grapes. But
as I say often: while Brix is a dynamite tool, it
is not the be-all, end-all of agriculture."
This is an interesting comment coming from one so
outspoken and passionate about using Brix to measure
the nutritional quality of food. Can you explain
what you meant by this?
Rex: First, you have to remember
that sugar is a part of Brix, but Brix is not sugar.
If you go back and study a few later BrixTalk posts,
you may spot the place where I commented on the
"insipid" label used in Florida to address
overly ripe oranges that had stayed on the tree
too long. Taste is far more than just sugar. There
are acids, flavonoids, aminos, antioxidants, oils
and who knows what else involved. If the tree is
in poor soil and does not have adequate resources
to create what I call "goodies," that
does not mean the leaves will cease making sugar
and if the fruit remains on the tree past proper
harvest time that sugar will accumulate.
I think the wine makers can point to their own
versions of the same phenomenon as witnessed by
the recent observation that grapes left on the vine
too long may build higher Brix, but that Brix is
really just excess sugar accumulating.
My theory is that one should measure the Brix
of the green-stage fruit to determine maximum potential
quality. I have little evidence, but I remain convinced
that, say, green grape A at 12 Brix will mature
at 24 Brix into a far superior fruit than green
grape B at 9 Brix hanging on the vine until it reaches
an apparently identical 24 Brix. Just to be crystal
clear here, the later grape should be picked when
it properly matures at, say, 20 Brix. There is no
circular logic here to say the 9-green/20-ripe grape
B is lower quality.
This interview started with me pointing out that
adding sugar to fresh orange juice doesn’t
do a thing for the taste nor the quality. There
is no reason to think that letting a mother vine
add excessive sugar to a grape will improve its
quality as far as making great wine. Perhaps we
have yet another way in which an ordinary refractometer
can help both the farmer and consumer in what should
be a joint striving toward quality.
Now that I reflect on it, maybe Brix really is
the be-all, end-all of agriculture. That certainly
seems to be the case when I cut up fruit for youngsters.
They are a lot harder to fool than grown-ups who
tend to think with their pocketbooks instead of
listening to their taste buds. A Brixmeter can help
those adults get their priorities back in order.
Brix Resources for the Consumer
and Farmer
(Note this is not an exhaustive list, but
merely several possibilities)
Online Articles and books
Where to buy refractometers
- Pike Agri-Lab Supplies Inc. RR2, Box
710, Strong, ME 04983 (207-684-5131)
- National Industrial Supply, 392 S. Miraleste
Drive #492, San Pedro, CA 90732 (310-748-6858)
- Eco-friendly farm and garden suppliers
in many areas
http://www.ebay.com
Email List
Agricultural Laboratories and Consultants
Books
(Many of these books are available from Pike
Agrilab or Acres
USA)
- The Anatomy of Life & Energy in Agriculture,
Arden Andersen, PhD, D.O.
- Mainline Farming for Century 21, Dan
Skow, DVM
- Science in Agriculture, Arden Andersen,
PhD, D.O.
- The Albrecht Papers, Volumes I-IV, William
A. Albrecht, PhD
- Nourishment Homegrown, Alexander Beddoe,
DDS
- The Non-Toxic Farming Handbook, Phillip
Wheeler & Ron Ward
|
About the Author
Suze Fisher is a WAPF chapter leader in Mid-Coast
Maine (along with Kate Mockus and Jane Greenleaf).
She also administers the WAPF chapter leader email
list, the WAPF practitioners list and the Beyond
Price list.
