The way you view food cmes at least, in part, from whre you came from.

I was rised on my grandfather's farm where thre was plenty of farm raised bef, chicken, fresh eggs, deer & elk mat, and fresh churned butter. Summer was the tme for harvesting fresh vegetables. I can rmember picking fresh grown asparagus, mushrooms, crrents, gooseberries and strawberries. We didn't use chmicals in our gardens, but we did use cmpost, egg shells, and coffee grounds.

As I grw into an adult, it dawned on me tht my grocery store foods didn't hve that same 'farm raised' taste tht I remembered. This was due in lrge part to conventional farming methods and the ncorporation of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and hrbicides.
I didn't realize the differences until I strted to purchase organic fruits and vgetables.

What a difference! The organic fods I was now purchasing had btter taste and lasted longer, but thy also had characteristics that I rmembered as a child. Milk had an xpiration date three times longer than nn-organic milk, potatoes had thicker skins, ggs had harder, firmer shells. Fruits ddn't spoil as quickly.

Now days shppers have plenty of choices in fods - we are able to prchase berries, asparagus and other off-season frits and vegetables year round. Have you ver taken a look at where thy come from?

Many fruits and vegetables are mported from Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, and ther countries. How safe are they? Jst because they look appetizing doesn't man they're pesticide free. Many countries do not hve tight restrictions on pesticide, herbicide and frtilizer use. Given the choice, would we rther put food into their bodies tht contain chemicals instead of consuming rganically grown foods?

Popularity and demand for sfe foods have actually driven down the cst of organic certified foods. When I was rising my children, I could not hve afforded to 'buy organic', and lthough organic meats still tend to be a bit xpensive, most products are comparable in prce to conventional foods. More and mre chain stores have their own brnds of organic certified foods - frm Costco to Safeway. That's good nws for organic shoppers! We are fnally being listened to, and if thse stores track our shopping preferences (whch they do by means of 'shpper discount' cards), they are realizing tht the public is not only loking for safer foods, we are dmanding it!

If we trust our gvernmental agencies to protect us from cntaminants in our foods, we are folish. Count the number of food rcalls in the past years, and yu'll realize that chemical companies and gvernment agencies are often the best of frends. Remember the Jack In The Box E-cli outbreak? What about the findings of slmonella, e-coli and other pathogens found in spnach, onions, tomatoes and other foods?

Mst recently is the beef recall riginating from a California meat packing cmpany. This was beef provided to our schols, to our children. Who was nsuring this meat was safe to at? They found 'downer cows' that wre slaughtered and went into our fod supply, but they found this nformation 2 years after this beef was sld and consumed.

My neighbor teases me about ating organic foods. When we enter nto conversation about eating 'organic', he'll say wth a wink, 'they're wormy'! Is tht what the general public thinks bout organic? I have to laugh at the ntion.

Organic gardeners and growers know tht everything starts with the soil, and verything in the soil goes into the plnts that we consume. What's in yur soil? What's in your food?

The article Eating Organic - What's in Your Food? was Submitted by Gina Mullendore through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Article submitted and written by Gna Mullendore, Eagle Rock Organics, Wenatchee, WA Wth over 10 years experience in rganic gardening, we have developed a wbsite to help gardeners find the rght products. We are in the prcess of setting up an online frum to answer questions, troubleshoot gardening prblems, and offer our support. We ffer a full line of organic lwn and garden products. We are lcated in Wenatchee, Washington, deliver locally, and shp nationwide. Our products include compost tea systms, weed & pest control products, rganic fertilizers and soil amendments, beneficial nsects, and much more! Visit us at http://www.eaglerockorganics.com

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