Organic Food Blog

Hospitals are beginning to take a step in the right direction towards incorporating organic food into their meals. Take a look at these examples I found in various places through the net.

Catholic Healthcare West has an education program about the ecological impacts of the food system and is eliminate rBGH use in dairy.
* Kaiser Permanente: is creating guidelines for sustainable food sourcing that includes local, antibiotic/hormone-free meats and dairy, and serving fresh fruit for desert. It has farmer’s markets at 25 of its medical facilities.
* Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz, California) buys produce from a local organic farm and has a vegetable and flower garden on-site.
* Good Shepherd Medical Center (Hermiston, Oregon) has eliminated fat fryers, serves organic produce and rBGH-free milk, and is eliminating food additives. Instead of beef, the hospital serves naturally lean bison.
* St. Luke’s Hospital (Duluth, Minnesota) serves only fair-trade coffee, rBGH-free milk, and wild salmon, and has a locally grown organic salad bar.

Fast food going organic…what? Doesn’t that seem wonderful but crazy check out http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/02/AR2008060202690.html for the info and pictures to back this up!

Most people would argue they will not drink unpasteurized milk because it will make them sick. Contrary to belief after all these years the truth may be that organic milk is actually better for us and safer to drink. In the late 1930’s is when the big stink about the Raw milk being bad for us was brought about. And why might we ask ourselves would this be? It was due to unsanitary safety measures. Take a look at this insert from:

According to Dr. Aajonus Vonderplanitz, a Ph.D. in Nutrition located in Washington, D.C., in Raw Milk; Udderly Health-giving!:

The bad rhetoric about raw milk as a carrier for disease began in late 1930’s when, as Knudsen Dairy employee Alton Eliason testified, conglomerate Knudsen Dairy began a ruthless conspiracy to eliminate its small competitors and ensure less spoiled milk. Knudsen began pasteurizing its dairy products but few people bought them because they were inferior in taste and health-giving properties. Knudsen claimed that pasteurized dairy was the only safe dairy and hired doctors, without research, to testify that raw milk caused diseases. They paid and worked with health officials to outlaw public and farm sales of raw milk. They paid writers to tell gruesome tales about dirty raw milk being a carrier of disease. City dwellers began to believe that anyone who drank it was crazy or stupid. However, the people who worked with raw milk and drank it regularly were not fooled. The campaign to force pasteurization down people’s throats is still alive today and your article continued it.

“Over 290 billion glasses of raw milk have been consumed in the USA since 1960 without one epidemic and not one scientifically associated case of sickness,” reported biological attorney Raymond A. Novell. “However, pasteurized dairy has been scientifically proved to have caused numerous epidemics, including one that affected 197,000 people; and that fact is from CDC.”

Next time we might ask ourselves twice and think organic when buying raw milk.

All I seem to hear on the radio and TV no matter what channel is how our countries economy is going down hill. But according to The Natural Marketing Institute Organic Food sales are actually increasing and organic farmers and markets are seeing sales rise higher than ever. Why we ask arethe more expensive organic foods being purchased in such hard times. Well many would argue the prices of the non organic foods are rising and most would say why not pay a little more and have the best. After all Organic does provide for a much healthier lifestyle. So now is a better time than any to start buying organic or make the switch from the mediocre to the best!

Bugs such as Aphids can be harmful and irritating as your garden is growing. You sometimes wonder how can I keep them away without harming the plants. If my garden is organic wont using pesticides mess that up? The answer is yes so the best solution is to control then the organic way. Here are a few tips as stated by www.cdcg.org.

”

• To deter cucumber beetles, try planting a few radish seeds in each hill of cukes. Let it grow alongside the cucumbers all season. The strong smell or taste of the radish seems to keep the beetles away.
• Homemade garlic or hot pepper sprays can protect your young seedlings from flea beetles and aphids. To prepare, combine finely chopped garlic and onions (or hot peppers) with water, let it steep for a while, then strain out particles. Spray vulnerable plants often, especially after rainfall. You can also sprinkle ground cayenne or other hot ground pepper directly onto leaves to deter chewing pests. This is most effective in the morning when leaves are moist with dew.
• Control powdery mildew and fungi on garden crops by combining one cup of milk with nine cups of water and spray onto affected plants twice a week. Researchers believe the milk has a direct germicidal effect as well as indirectly stimulating the plants to become more resistant. Let us know how it works if you try it. ” (www.http://www.cdcg.org/pests.html)

Heres a list of the top 10 organic foods in the US. It may make you think about getting these foods organically to avoid this even if its more costly. This list also includes healthy alternatives that deliver most of the same vitamins and nutrients our bodies need. For more detailed info please visit this source: www.care2.com .

"High-pesticide food: Strawberries
Main nutrient: Vitamin C
Healthy alternatives: Blueberries, raspberries, oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit, watermelon

High-pesticide food: Bell peppers
Main nutrient: Vitamin C
Healthy alternatives: Green peas, broccoli, romaine, lettuce

High-pesticide food: Spinach
Main nutrient: Vitamins A and C
Healthy alternatives: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus

High-pesticide food: Cherries
Main nutrient: Vitamin C
Healthy alternatives: Oranges, blueberries, raspberries, kiwifruit, blackberries, grapefruit

High-pesticide food: Peaches
Main nutrient: Vitamins A and C
Healthy alternatives: Nectarines, watermelon, tangerines, oranges, grapefruit

High-pesticide food: Mexican cantaloupe
Main nutrient: Vitamins A and C
and potassium
Healthy alternatives: U.S. cantaloupe grown from May to December, watermelon

High-pesticide food: Celery
Main nutrient: Carotenoids
Healthy alternatives: Carrots, broccoli, radishes, romaine lettuce

High-pesticide food: Apples
Main nutrient: Vitamin C
Healthy alternatives: Watermelon, nectarines, bananas, tangerines

High-pesticide food: Apricots
Main nutrient: Vitamins A an C and potassium
Healthy alternatives: Nectarines, watermelon, oranges, tangerines

High-pesticide food: Green beans
Main nutrient: Potassium
Healthy alternatives: Green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, asparagus"

This information was retrieved from www.care2.com .

Ever wondered where to buy the freshes home grown organic food. Sometimes large retail stores can be costly and the food not as fresh as you wish. I have run across the most user friendly site you can possibly imagine. Just simply click on the state you reside in and them a new window will load enabling you to click further into your surrounding counties and cities. It probably has the most up to date specific info on Organic farming on the web today. You can find this site and learn more info at www.localharvest.org .

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!"

Look for the word "organic" on vegetables or pieces of fruit, or on the sign above the organic produce display. The word "organic" may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese and other single-ingredient foods. Foods labeled "100 percent organic " must contain only organic ingredients. Products containing at least 70-percent organic content can be labeled "made with organic ingredients ." Those foods labeled simply "organic " must have at least 95-percent organic ingredients, by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt. Anyone who knowingly sells or labels a product "organic" that is not produced and handled in accordance with these regulations can face a civil penalty of up to $10,000.

Foods grown and processed according to the federal standards will in most cases bear the seal "USDA Organic ." As its use is voluntary, companies may choose not to display the seal.

If you see a food that is labeled "transitional ," that means the farmer produced it during the three-year conversion period from conventional to organic.