Define Organic?

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Blundin2005
Blundin2005 Member Posts: 1,167
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
I added this article that defines "organic" to the bees and seeds, but I guess it makes more sense just to post it for it's own sake.

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/editorspicks/179/the-musts-and-myths-of-organic-and-locally-grown

Best wishes to all
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  • Darcy45
    Darcy45 Member Posts: 55
    edited July 2007
    Thanks for the article Marilyn. It pretty much confirms what I believe. Yes, in a perfect world (or if I were independently wealthy) everything I consume would be organic! But since that's not the case I do the best I can.

    I try and shop organic for fruits and veggies that contain higher amounts of pesticide on them and free range chicken, etc. As for dairy, I do spend the extra money on organic milk and look for cheese that is imported. Other than that everything in moderation.

    By the way, what's the weather like in Rome? Next week we will be on the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento) then off to Florence, Venice and then Rome. I am so looking foward to this trip!!

    Ciao
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  • Blundin2005
    Blundin2005 Member Posts: 1,167
    edited July 2007
    sigh .... I know what you mean. We are living on a fixed income as most retirees with small businesses for some additional income. Anything "organic" is more expensive, but that can help the waistline too (lol)....not that you tell by mine! We have a condo with a small garden and I plant tomatoes, strawberries between flowers. I put basil and sage in pots in front of the rosemary bush near the lavender. And, I put plants around the bottom of our fruit trees. All of this helps to conserve the water.

    People plant food everywhere here .... cascades down mountain sides and unused land near train stations .... small but efficient. Farmer's markets are easier to find here and they only sell what is in season. This is why I encouraged my sister to plant veggies in her garden with the flowers.

    About the weather .... here's a link

    http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/ITXX0067?from=mycity_wx

    But it's simply HOT. It's a good idea to wear a hat, carry water and walk on the shady side of the street in this weather. It's a dry heat and you may not realize how hot it really is. The evening is more pleasant but it really depends where you are. The cities are hot. Enjoy your trip. This country is beautiful and so are the people.
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  • LoveMYcats
    LoveMYcats Member Posts: 22
    edited July 2007
    I just found out that nearly all of 'free range' eggs are not really free range. They keep the chickens in cages and let them out for 5 minutes a day. That's all that's needed to call them 'free range.'

    And for 'free range' cattle, many end up at a 'fat farm' after their free range life and are shot full of hormones, etc. And called 'free range'.

    Takes a lot of investigating to find out what is really for real 'free range'!
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  • roseg
    roseg Member Posts: 3,133
    edited July 2007
    I read a very good book - "The Omnivores Dilemma."
    It's kind of new and a bit hard to get at the library, but well worth the read -- put it on hold and wait for it!

    It tells you a lot about different types of food production, and how feeble the "organic" label actually is.

    "free range" means their chicken coop has a door in it and they could go outside. They are allowed to keep chicks inside for health reasons. By the time they're old enough to go outside they're conditioned not to, so they usually don't.

    Any "organic" foods you buy at Whole Foods, which is a nationwide chain, have likely been produced in a very industrial way. They may not have been produced using pesticides or chemicals but it is not grown on some little ma/pa farm where the chickens feed on scratch in the yard.
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  • paras
    paras Member Posts: 63
    edited February 2009

    MY HUSBAND THINKS ITS ALL A BIG HOAX THAT NOTING IS REALLY ORGANIC.

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  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 5,324
    edited February 2009

    Well, I don't know what the regulations are in the U.S. but Canada's Ministry of Agriculture has very strict rules about organic-labelled foods.  The farms (big OR small) on which they grow must be certified before their products can be sold.  No hormones, no pesticide use for 7 years.  If antibiotics must be given to cattle, the milk is immediately taken out of the general supply and thrown out (this is standard even if the farm is not certified organic).  We also have 2 wineries in our area that are certified organic -- with more to follow suit.

    But the best way to enjoy organic fruits and veggies is to grow your own, if you have a house.  All you really need is a small (maybe 12x12') plot in a corner of your lawn.  Go online to discover how to prepare/amend the soil. Do your own composting and help the environment.  We've been eating our own veggies (and our own tomato sauce) ever since we married.  Just had some young tender lettuce last evening which had been grown under grow lights in the basement!

    Of course, eating organic veggies won't prevent bc, unfortunately......but they sure taste better!
    Linda

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  • paras
    paras Member Posts: 63
    edited February 2009

    good for you lindasa your veggies are truely organic and you can charge 3 times more for them in the us if you wanted to make money lol

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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited February 2009

    I believe it when I read that nothing here is truly organic.  They're allowed a certain percentage, I think 5% of the food to not be organic and it still can carry the organic label.  What's in that 5%?

    I still go for anything organic but I know they're getting away with some pesticides in there.

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  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited February 2009

    I vote for organic with my dollars in the produce section to the extent that I am able.  Celery, for sure.  It doesn't cost much extra to buy organic celery.  Green peppers, however, are $2 each.  And even though they're on the list of produce that retains high levels of pesticide residue, I haven't yet purchased an organically grown green pepper.

    We live in a day and age when eskimos living clear up into the arctic have mercury in their breast milk.  Simply living on this planet will expose you to toxins.  To find fault with organic produce because there's a 5% allowance is missing the point imo.  Growers who avoid using pesticides are worthy of support.  

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  • AccidentalTourist
    AccidentalTourist Member Posts: 365
    edited February 2009

    Since my dx I have been scared by a book I read on this topic, which claims that perscides do indeed play a role in cancer development, and eat organic as much as I can.  I have simply given up other things in order to be able to do this.  I now eat much less meat and probably do not spend any more than I did when I eat a lot.  In the UK there is a body which regulates organic food sale and production and they do random tests of produce looking for pesticide residue.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2009

    Hi,

    I would say it means - no hormones, no antibodies

    I try the best I can - totally free range chickens (and their eggs), organic meats, organic milk - and now I'm going to order from this site - recommended by my naturapath - http://www.mercola.com/forms/cheese.htm

     Blessings!!

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