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[Raineyrocks]

There was some discussion on this thread about organic vs. non-organic, so I'd like to offer some perspective as one who has visited dozens of farms and worked on about 20.

Many farms are all natural, 'organic' by definition, but do not bother with organic certification. Several of the farms I worked on had been certified but discontinued, and others were certified organic when I was there but have since discontinued.

Case in point: The first farm I worked on as a WWOOFer was in Malibu, California. Allen was a second generation farmer. He claims his farm is the oldest continuously 'organic' farm in California. A couple of years before my two visits (2003-2004), he decided to 'get with it' and get certified organic. He regretted it and discontinued after a year or two.

Here's why: He had to pay $800 per year just to get certified. He had to take time out of his busy schedule to have bureaucrats come onto his property and stick a microscope up his ass to check every little thing out. Then he had to spend a lot more time throughout the year doing meticulous paperwork to record everything, down to where each seed came from. When you pay extra for organic, this is what you're paying for.

He soon realised that he didn't need to pay bureaucrats to come onto his property and tell him what he and his many loyal customers in the community already knew. His farm was open to the community, not only for customers, but for school tours, workers (regular and itinerant) and so on. He realised that building and maintaining trusting relationships was far more important than government certification and licensure.

I've also learnt that many farms that are certified organic are downwind or downstream from conventional farms that do heavy spraying and such. Not only that, but the FDA has expanded the criteria for 'organic' certification to the point of rendering it more or less useless as a guideline—even to the greenest of greenies.

I prefer food that is natural, mineral rich, fresh, and locally grown. I take the label 'organic' with a grain of salt, paying more attention to where food comes from than any government stamp of approval.

Good points, thanks! 

[error]

I prefer my questions lightly sauteed before eating them.

[Tom Sawyer]

I prefer my questions lightly sauteed before eating them.

deep fried questions for me! 

[Pat K]

I prefer my questions lightly sauteed before eating them.

deep fried questions for me! 

And wrapped in Bacon!

[Kat Kanning]

Wet, wild and in the raw for me!