Climbing on my soapbox

L got an email from one of his sisters with a link to an article on how the US produces so-called 'cheap' food. It's called "Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food." I agree with it's premise that the food industry has gotten to be just that-it's all about the almighty dollar instead of raising healthy food. The article also talks about what we can do to fix our food situation. It's amazingly simple: go back to small family-owned farms and use less chemicals/antibiotics to raise crops and animals. I totally agree with the premise that the American food industry relies way too much on scientific and chemical means to grow more food in less time and with less cost. For example-many small grains are harvested after being sprayed with Round-Up so it can be harvested faster and cheaper but don't all weed killers have 'Toxic-do not ingest' warning labels on them? According to the author, we are doing everything right on our farm. Our cows are allowed access to pasture and the outside world on all but the most inclement winter days instead of being cooped up 24-7. (Even on subzero degree days, the cows still love to go outside so it's got to be really bad out there before they want to stay indoors all day long.) Our crops are averaging reasonable yields yet we don't spray or use any chemicals of any kind. We use natural fertilizers, minerals, and crop rotation to keep the soil healthy. We treat our cows with homeopathic and natural remedies with higher success rates than my in-laws saw using conventional treatments. Yes, it's more expensive to farm this way, but I feel so much better about eating what we produce because there aren't the chemicals there. I don't want to blow my own horn here, but simply point out that we don't do things 'conventionally' and are still yielding much the same results. My challenge to you is this-read the article and think about it's message. Do you agree or disagree with the article? If you don't agree, I don't expect you to change your mind. I just want you to think about it. I didn't come by my opinions on organics overnight and I don't expect anyone else to either.

What's for dinner? Milk!

Well, for my husband it is anyway.

My husband has been reading "The Untold Story of Milk" by Ron Schmid, ND. After reading about a diet described in the book-for one full month, he would consume nothing but our milk, he decided to try it. Since June 3, he has had nothing but raw milk, a little bit of raw milk cheese, and villia (did I spell that right?). I am proud that he has stuck with it this long and with little complaint. (The only complaints I get are when I happen to eat pasty in front of him.) When asked what the purpose of being on this diet is, he replies, "It's good for lowering high blood pressure and bringing up low blood pressure. It helps overweight people lose weight, but allows underweight people to gain. It's good for diabetes, artheritis, heart disease, asthma, allergies, and a whole bunch of other things." I think it sounds like on of those 'too good to be true' diets but I am seeing a difference in him already. He's lost some weight, his blood pressure and resting heart rate are down, and he feels good. Am I doing this diet? Nope. I hope to try it sometime in the future, but my hubby decided to start his diet the day after I went grocery shopping. He told me I am not allowed to do the diet because there is too much food in the fridge.

Now, after being on the milk diet for a month, he wants to go a month without eating anything cooked. I forsee July's menu being filled with alot of salad. If, by August, you see me sprouting salad greens and rabbit ears, you'll know why. Oh and if you would like to read the book, we have an extra copy.

Organic Farming

Well, it's official. We are organic farmers. Yep, we got our organic certification just the other day. Lanny argues that the full calendar year for transitioning to organic is up on March 1st, but I say that since we got the certification, we are organic now. What's a few weeks difference matter?

I may be big into organics now, but I wasn't always. In fact, I knew very little about organics (aside from the fact that organic groceries always cost more in the store) before I met Lanny. Now, it has become an integral part of how I approach gardening, farming, grocery shopping, just about everything! Sometimes I wonder if I am a bit TOO gung-ho about it, but I just think about how much better I feel about what I am eating, drinking, using, and doing. Then I don't worry about it. My mother-in-law once said that she doesn't feel like she needs to worry about eating an unwashed organic apple (compared to conventional) because it doesn't have all of the sprays and chemicals on it. I concur.