Harv was a school teacher when he decided to grow lettuce organically in 1977. A lot of growers aspire to meet the high standards of organic growing, but Harv went one giant step further: His lettuce has been certified organic since 1984.
Harv was a leader in founding the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) in 1979. If a farmer in Ohio wants to be certified organic, OEFFA has been the organization since 1981 that undertakes the formal review and ultimate certification.
In Oxford, Harv was a founding member of Oxford’s Uptown Farmers Market in 2004 and a fixture at the weekly market ever since. He was one of a handful of local growers who formed a steering committee to open a store where local growers could sell their produce, so that the Oxford community could have access to local and organic foods every day of the week, not just at a farmers market. In other words, MOON Co-op Grocery (now voted Best Health Food Store in Butler County, according to the Journal-News).
Harv’s display at the Oxford Farmers Market features more than a dozen multi-colored lettuce varieties, some familiar, but mostly unfamiliar. I am especially partial to his red-leaf lettuce such as Merlot and lollo rossa, and mixed red-green colors such as Pablo.
For salad dressing, a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is the classic, and a better choice than bottled dressings. I use Kofinas olive oil, made locally by Evie Semertzides, with olives she gathers at her family’s estate in Crete, Greece, and available at Oxford’s Farmers Market and MOON Co-op Grocery.
My vinegar of choice is Zafiropoulos, also available from Evie at Oxford’s Farmers Market. It’s balsamic vinegar with pomegranate, made in a village near Athens, Greece.
Place in a container 1 part sunflower oil, then 1 part vinegar, then 1 part water, then 1 part olive oil. Add a dash of mustard, basil, garlic, and pepper, and shake thoroughly.
Aside from being more nutritious than supermarket lettuce, organic lettuce stays fresh longer in your fridge. After all, it didn’t have to take weeks to travel across the country to get to you.
If you are not familiar with Harv’s lettuce, get some now, while you still have the chance. Maybe you can talk him into another year, and perhaps find him an assistant eager to learn organic farming from the master.
Thanks, Harv.
Harv’s locally grown organic lettuce and Kofinas Olive Oil are available at MOON Co-op Grocery, Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. MOON Co-op, located at 516 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. Visit it online at mooncoop.coop.
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