--- In [email protected], new.morning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [snip] > I am wondering about Organic Veg in FF (and elsewhere). The > Organic "network" Alex has referred to -- lots of home gardens > as I envisioned it. Are all contributors certified organic? > (a seven year process, as i understand, and involving lots of > on going paperwork.) And if not certified, do the local home > gardeners use chemical fertilizers at times? Beyond compost, > and manures, etc. Most growers at the FF farmers market are not certified organic because it costs too much. But, you can ask the growers about their growing practices. E.g., Ernie Hinkle uses pesticides on his fruit trees because it's just too much work and expense for him to get decent quality fruit with organic methods; however, he stops using chemicals at least four weeks before harvest. But, he uses no chemicals on his veggies. (BTW, Ernie is 82 years old and still bringing a few hundred pounds of produce to market twice a week; he's a local treasure.)
Personally, I'm less rigid these days about eating organic. I avoid the most chemically intensive conventionally grown fruits and veggies, but I won't pay a premium for certain items if the non-organic are less expensive and better quality. E.g., I don't eat the skins of avocados and lemons, so I don't hesitate to buy non-organic ones. And, lately, the organic lemons and avocados have been very poor quality and very expensive. > Also, the Organic standards allow manures, and i think bone and > blood meal. Nothing more appetizing than throw dead cow blood and > bone materia, and pig shit on your "pristine" orgainic veggies. IIRC, organic standards dictate that animal manure be composted for at least six months before use. And, bone and blood meal are *way* less vile than the comfrey fertilizer I make at home (comfrey leaves allowed to rot in a bucket of water for several weeks... stinks to hell and back.) To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
