Village Rotary hears about new organic food production

FALLBROOK – On June 1, Fallbrook Village Rotary welcomed John Choiser, CEO of Grow Foods, Inc. as he explained his “Grow Food - Aquaponic System.”

Choicer’s method of organic food production is a new twist on an old system. His company utilizes Tilapia fish as part of the equation. He uses grow media, usually expanded clay pebbles, for the vegetable bed, recirculates the water through the fish tank, and produces some fantastic vegetables.

The vegetables filter out and utilize the fish waste. The only crops he cannot grow with this system are root crops. These are limited due to the shallow “grow media beds.” The fish which are produced are harvested and sold.

The EPA has shut down most of the Tilapia fish farms in the Imperial Valley because of the waste. Most Tilapia that are served here are imported from China, which means they are flown half way around the world. This new growing system can be a boon to preparers of the fish in the form of lower costs, which are passed along to the consumer.

One of the tremendous advantages of the system is that it saves about 90 percent of the water used in a conventional garden. The only loss of water is through the transpiration from the vegetable leaves.

This is a fascinating, tasty and worthwhile project for people who like to produce and eat home grown organic food.