Sustainable and organic food

Submitted by Grandma Joy on February 24, 2007 - 12:02am
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Hi everyone,

Since I do a lot of organic living coaching, I thought I would post a few tips on going green this spring. Now is the time to find a farm or start your own garden.
1. Make a commitment to learn about alternatives and things organic that would enrich your life.(You've already made a start here just by finding the WholeWoman site).
2. Make a long term plan so you can take baby steps in your goal for a healthier body not only for you, but your family as well.
3. Make a list of things organic you would like to buy. The next time you go to the store, buy at least one organic product. I buy my flours, cornmeal, nuts and dried fruit in bulk form at Whole Foods. Organic Flour is 59 cents a pound, cornmeal is 48 cents.
4. Check to see if there is a Farmer's Market in your area that has farmers supplying organic products.
5. Check to see if there is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)farm in your area. People are allowed to purchase a share of the year's produce, but can be expensive and I would check them out thoroughly.
6. See if there is a co-op garden in your area where you help purchase seeds and work the land once a week along with other co-owners.
7. Grow your own garden, even if it's just in pots on the patio, or a larger area if you have a large backyard.
8. Teach the children (if they are old enough) about eating good food and maybe start their own little plots with vegetables they choose, and they must help tend it. Certified organic seeds can be ordered from several places on the net.
9. See if there is an Organic Co-OP in your area where you, along with several others, can order what you need in bulk.
10. See if you can buy range fed or organic beef, chicken and pork if you are not a vegetarian. In December, the FDA condoned cloned meats (which includes chicken eggs) and have ordered NO labeling of those cloned meats. Aside from that, meats have hormones and antibiotics in them which do cause cancer. There is already ample proof of that.
11. Do check the labels on your skin care products. Most products are loaded with chemicals that may be carcinogenic and try to work out a way to include these in your budget. Toothpaste has a poison warning label on it.
12. BELIEVE in what you are doing.

Here is a website to find farms in your area. Just type in your state in the field close to the map on the page. www.localharvest.org

Hopefully, this information will help some of you find better whole foods this year. Some orchards or farms allow a "u-pick" time at a cheaper cost. I just wish I lived up north so I could get fresh cranberries, blueberries, and cherries cheaper!

Happy Eating,
Grandma Joy

howdidthishappen

February 24, 2007 - 4:56am

wow.

thank you for writing this, grandma joy. i am going to print it out and put it on my frige.

it's interesting because although i am eating almost all organic at this point (with your encouragement -- thank you so very much!) i've been thinking about face and body products and such. i was actually in a great organic store here in new york yesterday looking at alot of their products and trying to decide what to get. (ever the libran that i am, though,i couldn't make up my mind and left with nothing!)

and i'm thinking we have a small back yard -- this might be a great summer to start to plant a few little things with my daughter. it sounds like a fun and smart thing to do.

thanks again for this, grandma joy. i've been thinking about you. so glad to see this.

lots of love to you.

xxsusan

Grandma Joy

February 24, 2007 - 1:13pm

Thank you Susan, for your kind words. I had a copy of a Mother Earth News magazine a couple of months ago with articles on doing backyard gardening. One person who lived in either New York or New Jersey actually did a huge amount of gardening in pots on the deck of their apartment! I understand about not being able to make up your mind on what to get when purchasing something - just remember to take baby steps - one thing at a time. This way, you have time to read and study about what you want to do. Just look how far you have come since finding Whole Woman! It was such a pleasure watching you transform into a whole woman and empowering yourself!

Sorry I haven't kept up with the postings. I'm speaking at a chiropractor's wellness seminar in Oklahoma this next week and have been trying to get things ready to go while at the same time trying not to stress over getting up in front of 300 people!!

Love and blessings to you.
Grandma Joy

UKmummy

February 24, 2007 - 1:25pm

Dear Grandma Joy,

I LOVE Mother Earth News and I am a regular subscriber.

My current and I hope temporary desert suburban living conditions don't lend themselves too easily and practically to as much sustainable living as I would like. (At least not now without some big and time consuming projects). I do however have big plans for the future which I hope will include a move to greener pastures.

I am constantly inspired towards living a more completely sustainable life through reading Mother Earth News.

A couple of years ago I signed up with the community supported agriculture group where I lived and we got wonderful organic veggies delivered each week. We have stopped temporarily due to expense and less time to creatively cook without waste with two little ones.

I definitely see an organic veggie garden in my future. I was greatly inspired when I worked on an organic farm in Israel back in my late teens. A wonderful wise woman there taught me so much, and I have always harbored dreams since to have a small farm, or at least a veggie patch.

My Father grew all our fruit and veggies while I was growing up year round in England. I have vivid memories of REAL tasting veggies and fruit. Yum!

Michelle.

howdidthishappen

February 24, 2007 - 5:42pm

wow, grandma joy! speaking in front of 300 people, huh? that sounds amazing. i suspect you will be incredible as you are so heartfelt and honest about things and i know you believe so strongly in what you are doing. what day do you actually give the lecture? i'll be sending you loads of good thoughts.

and you know you have been instrumental in things shifting for me. i can not believe how things have, in fact, changed in such a short time. i really feel great and so hopeful about everything. i really do think everything will be okay. everything IS okay. i feel lucky indeed.

love to you.

susan

bertilsgirl

February 25, 2007 - 1:37am

I also like Mother Earth News, but discontinued my subscription because I had no time to read them - they simply piled up on the table. How does one go organic with little time to shop or cook? I do get some things organic, a few foods eg. milk and eggs and some personal care products. However, it's hard to find things in the store that are organic, and I don't trust the "store line" of some organics to be truly organic - just as the label "fresh" doesn't really mean fresh. Organic salads need to be eaten quickly as they don't keep long, and I haven't yet found a bag of organic greens only big enough for one or two. Will keep on trying.

Grandma Joy

February 25, 2007 - 3:17pm

Hi Michelle,

I can relate to everything you just posted. I hide my issues of Mother Earth News until I've read it front to back! Our land here is not conducive to the garden I want unless I spend big bucks to import good soil, but since we have horrible water, I didn't want to go to the expense. Besides, we are expecting a move this year, to which I hope will be greener pastures, too! I am also constantly inspired to living more sustainably and hope, if our profit on the sale of this place is high enough, that we can incorporate wind or solar power on the next place, plus a good water purification system.

The wise woman on the organic farm in Israel sounds like a mentor I would like to have. My parents grew our food but they have since passed on and I miss them and their knowledge, even after 25 and 30 years respectively. I remember once taking a salt shaker to a friend's cucumber patch and enjoying the bounty straight from the ground!

Love and blessings,
Grandma Joy

Grandma Joy

February 25, 2007 - 4:28pm

Thank you Susan for your encouragement! You may send all your good thoughts to me for Friday night! It will certainly be a boost to my nervous system.

I am so happy you are doing better and that you know everything IS okay. Keep that thought.

Love,
Grandma Joy