Subject: CSA: Carrots, Beets, Plus "A Word on 'Organic'" 10/04/2007 11:13:55 AM PST Hey y'all! This week we'll have carrots and beets for sure. There's also Butternut Squash on the way -- I'll know after checking it today or tomorrow. Have people been enjoying the turnip greens? There's more of those coming too. *** A Word on 'Organic' *** On Monday I got some [x - co. name deleted] Cheese from People's Food Co-op. [x] is a local dairy, and is certified USDA Organic. On this particular occasion, it gave me Food Poisoning! Everything emptied out of my body on Tuesday and I couldn't eat anything at all that whole day. By Wednesday it had passed, but it took all day to get my strength back up, eating again. Today, Thursday, I feel back to normal. [x] dairy products are sketchy. I know someone who's an Inspector for Oregon Tilth. All food that is "certified organic" is certified by a certifying agency, such as Oregon Tilth, although there are many others. The agency sends out inspectors who check things out, ask questions, etc. This inspector that I know told me that he went to [x] milk and that after having seen what he saw, he doesn't want to buy their dairy products anymore. Kind of a slipshod dairy, I guess, but they rec'd their Organic Certification from another agency anyway. The organic certification did not guarantee the safety of their products, as I found out. The certifying agency is paid by the farm/dairy/ranch to inspect and certify, so being a certifying agency can be a way to make money. The "Organic" label was developed on the grassroots level by small and medium sized farmers in the 70's and 80's. Many of the leaders of the movement were around here, and are still around here, in Cascadia. I'm acquainted with a few of them. In the 90's, the big corporate food companies wanted national standards so that they could get into the organic market, which they recognized as being a growing part of the overall food market. The USDA Organic Standards were the result of this process, and many people who worked in the movement viewed the federal standards as being "watered down". "Organic" as defined by the Feds has nothing to do with labor standards, water conservation, fossil fuel usage, or other sustainable practices. Some say the standards are being watered down further, under pressure from large farmers/packagers. I wouldn't be surprised. The way the federal law works, it is actually ILLEGAL for me to call my produce "organic" even though it not only meets but generally exceeds USDA standards. I know many farmers who no longer bother with federal organic certification. They just choose a niche -- CSA, market, local stores, restaurants -- where they can build trust relationships with their customers. That's the route I've taken as well. Not only are the USDA standards not meaningful enough (to me) but certification also requires money and an amount of record-keeping that I would likely find onerous. Anyway, getting sick from the local, raw, certified organic cheese made me think about all these issues all over again. Losing two work days will do that! Eat well! xoxoxo Your Farmer, Kollibri