Organic Food Blog

Mulch
"A thick layer of mulch keeps light from reaching weeds. "Without adequate light, the plants don’t produce enough chlorophyll to enable further growth. Most of these plants sicken and die before you even notice them," writes Miranda Smith in Rodale’s Chemical Free Yard & Garden. "The few plants that do manage to stick their leaves into the light will be shallowly rooted and very easy to pull."

Hoeing
Annual weeds die when you sever the stems from the roots just below the soil surface. With a sharp hoe, you cut the weeds easily. Forget about the square-headed traditional garden hoe for this job—go for an oscillating or a swan neck hoe instead.

Solarization
You can let the sun help you get rid of persistent weeds, if you’re willing to leave the bed fallow for six weeks in the summer. Get started in late spring or early summer by pulling, hoeing or raking out as many weeds as you can from the garden bed. Then, moisten the soil and cover it with clear plastic, weighting or burying the edges. Leave the plastic in place for 6 weeks. When you remove the plastic, the sun will have cooked weeds that would otherwise have sprouted."

This info sure came in handy for me I hope you can use it as well. These exerts were taken from www.organicgardening.com . If you cant utilize these methods theres always the hand pulling way. Ughhhh it really tends to be back breaking….

While searching through recipe after recipe on the net I finally found one I think everyone will love. Both kids and adults! Who can resist ice cream, and especially when its healthy for you. This ice cream is made from fresh organic ingredients and is sure to be irresistible. This recipe was from a wonderful website called organicauthority.com . Heres a list of the ingredients and steps to take in creating this wonderful desert.

Ingredients:

¾ cup granulated organic sugar
½ cup of fresh organic lemon verbena leaves packed (if you can’t find fresh lemon verbena, use the zest of 2 lemons)
¼ cup fresh organic lavender
2 cups whole organic milk
2 cups heavy organic cream
8 egg organic yolks

sprigs of fresh organic lavender and lemon verbena for garnish

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, lemon verbena leaves, lavender, milk and cream. Bring to a boil and steep for 20 minutes covered. Strain. In another bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar.

Whisk one cup of hot cream into egg mixture. Slowly whisk in new mixture to sauce pan with remaining milk. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Immediately remove from heat and cool in an ice water bath or refrigerator until completely cool. Strain. Add the mixture to the electric ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturers’ directions.

Note: Because you follow an organic lifestyle, OrganicAuthority.com recommends using certified organic ingredients, when available, in all recipes to maximize flavors and nutrition while minimizing your risk of exposure to pesticides, chemicals and preservatives.

"This recipe complimetns of organicauthority.com pleqse check out their site!"

While searching on the web for information about Organic Foods I came upon a website that specializes in every Organic Food imaginable. It has a great range of products from produce to beef. Everything they have to offer has met specific quality standards provided by the US. You can even order a sample basket containing a mixture of fruits and vegetables. Heres the greatest part about the sampler baskets they have to offer. The have one that has everything needed in order to complete a delicious Organic dinner including the wine. Check www.diamondorganics.com for these great Organic Foods at good affordable prices.

We all know and I’m sure have hear many times that organic food is better for you. It is grown naturally without chemical fertilizers or pesticides therefore is is better for our bodies. But why are the prices of organic foods going sky high? The prices are whats driving many individuals away from buying organic foods today. For example an organic loaf of bread in many stores can average somewhere around $4.50. Prices such as these can seem very unappealing to most of us and drive us in the opposite direction. Heres some helpful shopping tips I found to help you achieve lower costs and still get the organic foods you want.

• Make the transition gradual. Take at least a year, becoming familiar with prices and products.

• Plan each week’s meals around the most affordable produce, meat and grains.

• Meat and dairy products contain the highest concentration of pesticides, so if your grocery budget is tight, choose organic meat, cheese and milk over produce, grains, cereals and other foods.

• Scout farmers markets for organic growers and avoid paying the “middleman” by buying direct from the farmer.

• Eating produce out of season is expensive, but if you must have strawberries in winter, buy frozen. Frozen organic produce is now available in bulk at warehouse stores.

• The non-profit Environmental Working Group studies pesticide residue on produce and recommends spending your shopping dollars on organic to replace conventionally grown produce with the highest amounts of chemicals. No pesticide levels exceed federal standards, but the highest offenders include strawberries, spinach, bell peppers, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe from Mexico, celery, apples, green beans and imported grapes. “www.azcentral.com“

GREENFIELD, Mass. (Jan. 17, 2008)- Pennsylvania’s revised milk labeling standards issued today rescind prior controversial standards guidance that could have adversely affected the labels on organic milk, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) noted.

As a result, organic milk can continue to carry verified production-based claims, including that the milk was produced without the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), a genetically engineered growth hormone used to stimulate milk production. These labels are sometimes characterized as “absence claims” because they describe truthfully what is not used in the production of the product.

“OTA is pleased that organic product labels will continue to inform consumers about organic production practices. No organic dairy farmer uses rBST,” said OTA’s Executive Director Caren Wilcox.

Many people wonder why you have to pay more for organic foods in most instances. There are a number of reasons for this, all of which boil down to one simple concept: you get what you pay for!

You may a little more for those organic carrots at the supermarket, but they are cleaner, healthier and you know they came from a wholesome source. You can paying for peace of mind. Can’t say that about your regular carrots, huh?

Here are three reasons why you pay more for organic food and why you shouldn’t complain:

Reason #1: Animal Welfare — Essentially, the better the animals are treated and the better their conditions, the better quality of food you will have. If the animals in question are being fed good food often and being kept in clean, sterile conditions, the chances that they will end with diseases or in poor health from malnourishment are much slimmer. Optimal treatment of animals is a staple of the organic farming industry.

Reason #2: Skilled Husbandry — This boils down to the fact that organic farmers must be more skilled in farming their land and handling their crops. Since there are no pesticides used in many facets of organic farming, farmers must weed by hand. They must keep a constant watch over all of their plants and animals to ensure that everything is growing and being nurtured as it should. This requires a great deal of education and knowledge on the part of those involved in the organic farming process.

Reason #3: Materials — In many instances, organic farmers must make their own materials from scratch, i.e. fertilizer. This is because many of the products on the market today are made with non-organic, artificial components and cannot be used in the organic farming process. Therefore, farmers must either pay more for organic materials or produce their own, which can translate into better quality, but higher cost for the consumer.

Just remember, you are what you eat. Organic food helps to guarantee that what you eat is healthy and natural and when you look and feel better, that will manifest in other areas of your life.

One of the things I most love about the organic food industry is discovering what the “next big thing” might be. From new advances in growing organically to new organic brands enhancing our supermarket shelves, this is a segment of the grocery industry that is always, always growing.

Which is why I find it so interesting that the next step in organic foods has nothing at all to do with people. In fact, you could say the industry has gone to the dogs….literally.

Organic pet food has taken the multi-billion dollar pet food industry by storm. People are now becoming more interested in making sure Fluffy or Fido has a nutritious, pesticide-free, organic option for food. According to IBISWorld Inc, a marketing firm based in Illinois, the organic pet food market is booming, with better sales than ever! This of course was helped by that nasty pet food fiasco last year where poisonous substances found in dog food killed numerous animals around the country.

Upon releasing results of their study, IBISWorld, Inc. has this to say about their findings: “Pet owners are continuing to review their animal’s diet as a means of improving overall health, including the extension and quality of life. This has resulted in consumers turning toward all-natural pet food products.”

Now, not only can you enrich your quality of life with an organic lifestyle, you can do the same for your pet. How fantastic is that?!

How cool is this….there is an entire conference being held in Michigan surrounding the topic of organic food. The Michigan Organic Conference will feature a slew of educational sessions for those who love organic food as well as farmers who grow it. There will also be a film festival surrounding the topic.

What’s so cool about this festival is that it shows how eating organically is really moving to the forefront of our society. For so long, diets and speciality eating plans have been part of mainstream culture when organic has always been one of the truly healthy ways of eating.

The idea behind the conference is to offer consumers in Michigan an opportunity to meet and greet with the people who grow and sell organic foods in the area. What would be nice is if we could have a traveling festival such as this one that traveled around the country. This would be such a fantastic way to introduce people to the idea of eating organic and educate them on the benefits. Once we see what a success regional festivals such as the one in Michigan can be, perhaps a national organic food conference could be in the near future.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!