This story of a doctor who eats nothing but organic foods for three years, (three years because that is how long it takes for a farm/factory animal to be deemed organic), caught my eye.
Interesting topic, this “certified organic,” government-label thing is.
As a child, I wondered why the produce my family grew in our tiny backyard garden looked and tasted so drastically different from the produce we would buy at our supermarket.
The green apples I would pick from our tree were dense, firm yet tender, always juicy yet crisp with a bright tangy-tart flavor. Never dull. The waxy, bright fluorescent green apples from the supermarket never measured up.
The tomatoes I picked always smelled of thick green tomato vine and when cut, juice, seeds and pulp came gushing out. There was a zingy acidic-sweet flavor in each bright red slice.
The tomatoes from the store were sometimes too soft or firm, and mealy in texture. And never that same candy apple red color.
I didn’t yet understand that the ‘lives’ of the produce in the store versus my garden were drastically different.
Fresh picked and quickly eaten; versus, picked, sorted, cold-stored, shipped, laid-out, boxed and sold. Watered with care in small quantities; versus, mass-produced.
Organic food stems from an idea: home-grown. Organic is spontaneous, natural. Not constructed or planned.
I am certainly a fan of organic versus non-organic. On all levels, from societal to nutritional. But sometimes I wonder about a highly structured and regulated system which governs over ‘certified organic farming’. It defeats the purpose.
Those apples and tomatoes I picked in my backyard as a child were indeed 100% organic. Yet I am certain that if I had filed an application to certify my yard –some government official would’ve denied it.
