The following blog entry is not going to win me any popularity contests with some people. Those people will read things into this post that simply are not there. I am not attacking anyone in particular. This is not a tirade because I am upset that somebody else is moving in on my customers. Be it is a conventional farmer who is transistioning to organic or somebody with a 10 by 10 plot in his/her backyard, calling themselves as an organic farmer, there is always competition for my business and there is somebody new every year. It is the nature of things and I really don't give it a whole lot of thought any more because there are bigger issues that I do give a whole lot of thought to.

This is not a regional dilemma, either, It is happening in many places. I know people who are small organic growers in other states and we can discuss this subject like we live side by side. Well meaning people who think that they are helping small farmers, by leading them to customers, are actually creating a climate of misrepresentation, misinformation and mistrust between the very people they are trying to help. Kind of like the missionaries who went out and nearly destroyed cultures in their overzealousness and disregard for anybody's ideology except for their own.

There is a huge problem within the local and organic food movement that most people simply don't see or understand. Sometimes I think that they don't want to see it because they don't bother to educate themselves about the true concepts and principles of growing organic food and have no idea what the difference is between something that is truly organically grown and something that is locally grown, but conventional. Many people are so caught up in the almost hysterical local food movements that they fail to take an honest, objective look at how things really are.

Unfortunately, anytime there is an economic demand for a product, impostors sometimes begin to spring up at an alarming rate. This is the situation that many small certified organic farmers are encountering with more and more regularity when trying to market their goods. At farmer's markets, roadside stands, buying clubs and other venues, there are unscrupulous growers who claim to be "almost organic" or to be using "organic methods". Generally, these growers are using these phrases as a kind of "smoke and mirrors" labeling to confuse consumers into thinking that they are getting an organic product when, in fact, many times nothing could be further from the truth. If you are going to grow and market your produce as organic, what would be the sense of being "almost" organic. You either are or you aren't. There is no gray area here but because there is so much misinformation circulating concerning what the concept of organic means to the consumers, most people have no idea what they are actually getting, even when they are paying a premium price for these bogus "organic" goods. Some of these farmers have no real clear idea of the disservice they are doing to the concepts of organic farming. Of course, some of them just don't care...anything for a buck. But many of them simply do not have access to or completely comprehend the organic standards of the National Organic Program. Just because you didn't spray noxious chemical pesticides on your crops in no remote way makes you an organic grower, nor does it adhere to the organic method. This system of agriculture is a synergistic partnership between the grower, the environment and a deep respect and philosophical understanding of what this partnership requires. Part of the organic method requires the support and establishment of habitat for beneficial insects, birds and other helpful creatures. It is not about controlling nature but rather finding the balance between what nature creates and working within that creation. It requires strong faith in the perfect order of all things in nature and to work with and within the natural cycles that occur. The truest principles of organic farming are not about commerce, they are about a deep and abiding love of Mother Earth and about taking our earthly stewardship responsibilities very seriously. It's really not all about the money. Because the demand for organic products far outstrips the supply, there is pressure for performance and with that always comes the temptation to circumvent the regulations. That is an unfortunate consequence of capitalism. There will always be those who see the chance to make more money and will do whatever they can to tap into the organic marketplace. The ideals of the organic movement which I have been a part of for over 40 years of my life are being trampled on and it makes me angry that something that so many of us worked so hard for is being bastardized the way that it is. Sadly, it is the negative stories that make the headlines and give people the impression that certified organics should be looked upon with skepticism. This tiny percentage of producers has tainted public opinion, thanks to the media's bias toward the sensationalization of the negative aspects of anything. The part of the story that is never told is that the majority of small certified organic growers are honest, hardworking and highly principled or they wouldn't be certified in the first place. If you are going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk, when it comes to calling your product organic. We became certified to show our solidarity with other organic farmers and to help to give a voice to the small family farmer. There is an exemption from certification for legitimate very small organic growers. These producers are allowed to call their products organic, provided that they meet the specifications for this exemption. Part of the onus of responsibility for these non-certified organic growers is to keep the exact same paperwork and follow the exact same rules that certitied growers use. Only then is the exemption legitimate. Ergo, the requirements to legally label a product as organic (non-certified) by falling under this exemption category, is exactly the same as a certified grower. All they are exempt from is inspection and paying for certification, which incidentally is not expensive at all. This is another common argument for not being certified that is completely false...most certifiers have caps on what they can charge and the USDA offers financial assistance to help with the costs of certification. Since the other most common argument against certification among these pseudo-organic growers is that the paperwork is too burdensome for them to bother with, that is the one of the very things that gives away their lack of knowledge about organics or points to the misrepresentation of exactly what they are doing. If anything, the records we are required to keep only take minimal amount of time. We are able to use our own method of recordkeeping, as long as we have the correct documentation. Having these detailed records of what we do year to year has proven to be an invaluable tool for the efficient management and operation of our farm. So, the only way to be certain that you are, in fact, getting what you are paying for is to ask for the grower's certification or to question their methods. It is your right to know. Organic certification is your assurance that the grower has done his or her due dilligence in order to obtain that certification. Third party certifiers for the USDA inspect farms to make sure that they are following what amounts to the strictest food growing standards in the world today. And the growers are not the only ones at fault with regard to misinformation about organics. A majority of consumers don't really know exactly what they are seeking when it comes to organics and so the waters are muddied even further. Lots of consumers are really looking for fresh, local produce, not truly organic produce and this lack of distinction between two very different products feeds the cult of misinformation about organics that abounds at farmer's markets, etc. Exactly what does the USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC label actually mean to the consumer? The following link will take you to brief outline lists some of the key points that make certification of a producer/product important to anyone who eats organic food. Certified versus Non-Certified

ANNOUNCING NEW CSA STRUCTURE FOR 2009

I hope that everyone is faring well during the recent economic turmoil that has been affecting us all. The state of the world is very fragile right now and I pray for peace and harmony every day and for the health and happiness of all. It is not an easy road to travel but if we take it slowly and mindfully, things will be brighter at the end of the road.

MAKING CSA MORE ACCESSIBLE IN THIS ECONOMY
Trying to keep our CSA accessible and affordable is a very challenging proposition. By not raising our costs at the same level that other industries are raising theirs we have pretty much kept out prices at the same level for the last several years even though aur production costs tripled in several areas. Last year, we increased the price of CSA to a level that would allow us to include delivery of shares to members. That has proven to be a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" scenario. Who would have thought that gas prices would have spiked at $4+ per gallon right in the middle of our busiest season? For that reason, we are going back to pick up locations for next year. In addition, we have changed the structure of our CSA to include more affordable payment options and expanded CSA overall.

CHARLOTTE IS BACK ON THE SCHEDULE
We had not planned on having Charlotte back in the pick up rotation but the demand was such that we had to pay attention. For that reason, we have added the Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market back into our schedule for 2009. We will be there on Saturdays again starting in late April (CSA officially starts May 2, 2009). There will also be produce for sale at this market but limited quantities and varieties. We are doing 2 other markets now and don't want to spread it too thinly but our farm plan includes growing some of our more major crops (okra and sweet potatoes for example) in quantities enough to accommodate all of our venues.

MONTHLY PAYMENT & MONTH-TO-MONTH SHARES AVAILABLE IN 2009
One of the most radical changes we have made are payment methods for membership. As I mentioned above, we are now accepting monthly payments (after the initial deposit) for membership in our CSA. For the first time ever, in 2009, we are offering a Month-to-Month Share that requires only a one month at a time commitment. There are a couple of restrictions on the Month-to-Month option. This share is not available in May and June, during strawberry season, and it is not available as a 100% organic produce share but overall is still a great CSA option. Plus, we have set up a PayPal account for anyone who wants to use a credit card to pay for their membership. There is a small fee (theirs, not ours) for using this service.

PARTNERING WITH OTHER FARMS IN OUR AREA In 2009, we will be partnering with several other growers in our area to expand and give more balance to our CSA shares. Working in conjunction with these other farms will also allow us to include and support fellow farmers in our own community. The focus of our CSA has always been and will continue to be 100% organic produce, grown at our farm. The choice will be up to individual members as to whether they want a fully organic share or not.

All of the information about these new options are published on the website at WWW.NEWMOONFARMORGANIC.COM Just follow the links on the left side menu to navigate the CSA section of our website.

Happy Thanskgiving to Everyone!!!

Hello to everyone. It's been a while since posted anything new here. It has been crazy busy around here lately but I am taking time to write this brief post right now to give our holiday greetings to everyone who reads this blog. I have a little downtime to myself because I waiting for eggs to boil (got the under the chickens this morning). I am going to make these rocking curry stuffed eggs for Thanksgiving dinner today. Oh-oh! Now I hear the beeper going off on the egg timer and I am off to make my eggs.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL

BE SAFE!

RANTING, RANTING, RANTING, YEEHAW!!!

"Only when the last tree has been cut down; Only when the last river has been poisoned; Only when the last fish has been caught; Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten." -Native American Proverb

If the white man had listened to the Native Americans (most spiritual people who ever lived and they were slaughtered as godless heathens by our Euro-bred ancestors...), we might not be in such a mess now. We have put too much faith in the word of man, instead of the deeds of the Creator and we are suffering for it. Only the people of the world can change anything. Governments, politicians, organizations, etc. are only as good as what they are able to inspire or compel the masses to do. Until we stop being so arrogant and lazy in this country (and setting that example for the rest of the world) will anything change?

I put my money where my mouth is, literally, because I make my living as an organic, sustainable farmer. No nine to five, no regular paycheck, no slave to the grind. And I fight the system every day of my life, by living outside of what most people consider "normal". And, I wouldn't have it any other way. At least I feel like I am off my butt and doing something. But recently, my frustration about the road we are headed down, requires I speak my mind.

AND LEARN TO THINK, PEOPLE, instead of being hammered in complacency by people (corporations) whose only task in life is to get you to part with your money, now matter how stupid their product is....Do we really need another Ron Popiel product for 3 easy payments of $19.99? Does a 95 pound woman really need to drive a Hummer? What the hell is in a tatertot anyway? Are strokes and heart attacks on the rise because of cell phones and iPods? Of course, those questions sound ridiculous but the underlying ideas really do exist in our society. What happened to paying for something if you had the money and not getting it if you didn't. When did Americans become embarrassed to pay cash for things they need and a good thing to be a**h**e deep in credit debt? What is going on here!!!!!?????? T H I N K , PEOPLE!!!!!

You can listen to inspirational lectures and speeches every day for the rest of your life but if with lack of action, nothing changes.

CALLING OUT BOGUS ORGANICS....

The following is strictly the opinion of the author and in no way reflects the opinions of anyone else.

BOGUS: 1. being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials 2. being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud.

Strong word to use, "bogus". Unfortunately, it applies to the subject of this blog entry. Anytime there is an economic demand for a product, impostors begin to spring up at an alarming rate. This is the situation that many certified (small) organic farmers are encountering with more and more regularity when trying to market their legitimate organic goods.

At many farmer's markets, roadside stands, buying clubs and other venues, there are unscrupulous growers who claim to be "almost or nearly organic" or to be using "organic methods". While I know how hard farmers work and have nothing but high praise and deep respect for anyone of them. After all, I am one of them, and I know how hard the work can be. But I have only contempt for organic bootleggers.

Using misleading phrases deliberately is a kind of "smoke and mirrors" labeling meant to confuse consumers into thinking that they are getting an organic product when, in fact, many times nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, this has become commonplace, mostly because of the premium prices that organic produce can bring. Even though there are steep civil penalties for this type of misrepresentation (up to $12,000 per instance), there isn't much enforcement because there are simply too many of these false claims being made for the supervising agencies to investigate. And it is spreading like a wildfire, totally out of control.

Part of the responsibility for this situation falls on consumers because they have been continually willing to accept these goods without question and have so fostered this situation. The local food movement has encouraged this behavior, without meaning to, by the very nature of in its enthusiasm and naivete about the issues. While believing they are helping the small local farmer find a market for his/her goods, they have hurt as much as they have helped in many places by creating a climate where unscrupulous growers can take full advantage of the unsuspecting. Some of these organizations have worked to encourage the proliferation of small local growers, which is a great aspiration, but when it is done in a manner that serves to widen the gulf of ignorance and misinformation about the concepts of real organic growing, it only harms.

If a farmer is going to grow and market produce as organic, what would be the sense of being "almost" organic. You either are or you aren't. There is no gray area here. Because there is so much misinformation circulating concerning what the concept of organic truly means most people have no idea what they are actually getting, even when they are paying a premium price for these " nearly organic" goods. It is like buying a well used car at original new car price.


Most of these bogus growers have no real or clear idea of the disservice they are doing to the concepts and high ideals of organic farming principles. Many of them simply do not have access to or completely comprehend the organic standards of the National Organic Program. Some of them don't understand and some of them simply don't care. Just because you didn't spray noxious chemical pesticides on your crops in no remote way makes you an organic grower, nor does it adhere to the organic method. The organic system of agriculture is a synergistic partnership between the grower, the environment and involves a deep respect and philosophical understanding of what this partnership requires.

Part of the organic method requires the support and establishment of habitat for beneficial insects,birds and other helpful creatures. It is not about controlling nature but rather finding the balance between what nature creates and working within that creation. It requires strong faith in the perfect order of all things in nature and to work with and within the natural cycles that occur. The truest principles of organic farming are not about commerce, they are about a deep and abiding love of Mother Earth and about taking our earthly stewardship responsibilities very seriously. It's really not all about the money.

Because the demand for organic products far outstrips the supply, there is pressure for performance and with that always comes the temptation to circumvent the regulations. That is an unfortunate consequence of capitalism. There will always be those who see the chance to make more money and will do whatever they can to tap into the organic marketplace. Sadly, those are the stories that make the headlines and give people the impression that certified organics should be looked upon with skepticism. This small percentage of producers has tainted public opinion. The part of the story that is never told is that the majority of small certified organic growers are honest, hardworking and highly principled or they wouldn'tbe certified in the first place. If you are going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk, when it comes to organics.

There is an exemption from certification for legitimate small organic growers. These producers are allowed to call their products organic, provided that they meet the specifications for this exemption. Part of the onus of responsibility for these non-certified organic growers is to keep the exact same paperwork and follow the exact same rules that certitied growers use. Only then is the exemption legitimate. Ergo, the requirements to legally label a product as organic (non-certified) by falling under this exemption category, is exactly the same as a certified grower.

All these growers are exempt from is the formal inspection and paying for certification, which incidentally is not expensive at all. This is another common argument for not being certified that is completely bogus...most certifiers have caps on what they can charge and the USDA offers financial assistance to help with the costs of certification.

Since the other most common argument against certification amongthese pseudo-organic growers is that the paperwork is too burdensome for them to bother with, that is the one of the very things that gives away their lack of knowledge about organics or points to the misrepresentation of exactly what they are doing. And what could possibly be the motivation for that?

So, the only way to be certain that you are, in fact, getting what you are paying for is to ask for the grower's certification or to question their methods. It is your right to know. Organic certification is your assurance that the grower has done his or her due dilligence in order to obtain that certification. Third party certifiers for the USDA inspect farms to make sure that they are following what amounts to the strictest food growing standards in the world today.

Growers are not the only ones at fault with regard to misinformation about organics. A majority of consumers don't really know exactly what they are seeking when it comes to organics and so the waters are muddied even further. Lots of consumers are really looking for fresh, local produce, not truly organic produce and this lack of distinction between two very different products feeds the cult of misinformation about organics that abounds at in the local marketplace.

And in closing, I will say that some people will read this blog and say I only posted this because I am one of the certified organic small farmers being affected by this problem. I would reply to that "damned straight" I am. But on the other hand, I am also an organic consumer and I work extremely hard for my money. I have no appreciation for someone who deliberately tries to cheat me out of my hard earned dollars. I also don't think that people fully appreciate the all the effort that goes into maintaining the certified organic status of this farm. If I am willing to put my time, money, effort and yes, even my life into growing something that I believe is a superior product for my customers (and there is plenty of evidence to support my beliefs about this) then I think that it is time that these backyard organic growers were called on their actions.

I live and work on a 30-acre certified organic farm in North Carolina. This year has been a tough one for farmer's all over the state, but for an organic farmer who practices what is called "dry farming" or farming without irrigation this year went way beyond being called a hard one. While you can plan for just about anything, the worst drought in 100 years is something that cannot be predicted.

Things were a bit better this year, but best laid plans can sometimes go awry. Over all it wasn't a bad year, just a year with lots of ups and downs. More lessons to be learned and improvements to be made in 2009.

Yet, we have still been very lucky. Even without the ability to water the crops, from the middle of July onward, there has been something being produced in the gardens all season long, even though the late summer/fall harvests were smaller than in past years.

Plenty of stuff coming out of the gardens this year, although several crops were lost due to weather conditions and insects. By lost, I mean that we decided to not grow them because of conditions that existed. This is good management of our land use, not a failure....big difference.

There has never been the need for us to go the the expense of putting in a new well before because the rainfall and our planting methods, soil condition, etc. has always been sufficient for a very productive season. Next year, however, the drought is expected to continue and possibly even into 2009. For that reason, we will have to take on the financial burden of putting in a well and irrigation system if we are to continue to run the Farm. That means we have to tighten the belt yet another notch and make the best of it. That is the nature of farming. A farmer doesn't have the luxury of feeling secure or complacent about much of anything, especially when he/she is an organic farmer. You just have to accept things, deal with them best you can and move on. There is nothing that we would rather do, though, so we will continue to make every effort possible to continue to make this work.

We put in the well and will be paying for it for a long time. It was late getting in (May i/o March) and it cost over twice the original estimate because the driller hit rock at 75 feet and the water was down almost 500 feet. But we have it now and in 2009, it should do for us what we thought it would do this year.

The drought has been a humbling experience for a lot of people in this region, because it has shown us that we simply cannot take our resources for granted anymore. Environmentalists and ecologists have been making dire predictions about these types of things for years and years, but until it finally hits close to home, it is easy not to pay much attention.

This year we recovered from the drought but had to deal with gas prices soaring out into the stratosphere, the economy collapsing around us, a death of a beloved family member and other things you just can't see coming. While the environmentalists made predicitions that nobody listened to, there were also prognosticators who made like predicitions about the economy but same thing happened as with the dire predictions about the climate...nobody listens until it hits them on their own turf.

AT THE FARM

The Farmer, in particular, has worked so very hard this year to keep things on track. Adverse conditions, while not something one desires, must be looked on by us as a learning experience. Because of the extreme conditions of this summer and fall, we have had to completely rethink how we do some things. Some of these changes will enable us to better manage our resources and give us the ability to still continue to work the Farm with just the two of us. We can't afford outside labor and need to have things at a level we can maintain with just our 2 strong backs and 4 willing hands. And while we love to have volunteers come to work at the Farm, the majority of them just can't make enough of a time commitment to reduce our workload. Mostly our volunteers/apprentices/interns are here for the learning experience and we love having the opportunity to share our knowledge and passion with them. Part of the good stewardship of an organic farmer is to pass the torch onto the next generation and that is something we take very seriously.

We had no volunteers, apprentices or interns this year. With delivery of CSA shares taking up so much of our time, there wasn't anybody here to train or talk to them. The Farmer's workload was tremendous, due to me being gone from the Farm so much so there was no time for him to supervise anyone and I was just not here....

Our farm products are marketed through a CSA. Because the spirit and structure of a CSA means that everyone shares in both the bounty and the risk of a farm we are not the only ones who have all been affected by this year's extreme weather conditions. Record cold, a record heatwave, a record drought...we had it all this year. It has meant a great deal to us to have had so many words of encouragement and support throughout the past several months from our memberfriends. If anything positive has come from this situation, it has given us all the time to stop and appreciate just what it takes to get our food to the plate and to be more aware of the fragility of all of our food sources. Our CSA members have participated in a microcosmic environment of what exists on a larger scale with the farmers who grow all of our food.

This year, again with the record heat. It was almost 100 degrees the first week of May. Rainfall was up but still in drought territory for much of the year. Then hurricane season hit and we had flooding rains a couple of times....yada, yada, yada. Business as usual....same stuff, different year.

This year has also been an eye-opener about the dangers of imported and non-local foods, with food safety issues cropping up on almost a weekly basis. It only takes one catastrophic event to affect our food supply, no matter what the source. Belonging to CSA has gives you access to one of the safest food supplies available (unless you are growing it yourself). Even our handling methods are geared toward food safety (it is a requirement of our certification).

Milk in China anyone? This is still the safest food you can put into your mouth.

Next year, we are going to go back to making home deliveries. After making a study of the logistics of this plan, it is actually more environmentally friendly for us to drive 100 miles per week to deliver than to have many people driving to one location to pick up their produce. (I calculated the number of miles that our customers drive and it is considerably less for me to do the driving.) We have a small gas sipper that will be used for this purpose and so we will stand by our commitment to Mother Earth.

This was a nightmare. Period.

THE NEW AGE OF POULTRY

Next year, we will be producing our own eggs for our CSA. As I have mentioned on several occasions, we already have about 50 chickens that we have for our own usage and making a transition to a larger laying flock is just a matter of renovating the chicken house, obtaining the chickens and setting up nest boxes for them, etc. which will be one of our projects for the winter months.

This project is very exciting for us for many reasons, not the least of which is that we will be attempting, over the next 2-3 years, to establish a breeding flock of two critically endangered breeds. As defined by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy Critical means: Fewer than 500 breeding birds in the United States, with five or fewer primary breeding flocks (50 birds or more), and globally endangered. This has been a goal that we have had in our long range plans since we started and we are finally ready to make this happen. Anyone who participates in our CSA in the future will be a key part of this project.

Bringing a livestock breed back to the role for which it was originally intended is necessary to ensure that the breeds are truly viable again and so stabilize their status. The work of the ALBC and small breeders have rescued many breeds of livestock from near extinction. We strongly believe that these animals are part of our history (human history...not just American history) and should be respected and appreciated for the role that they have played in that history. Preservation of our past can certainly help to shape our future, if we are willing to learn from that past.

The state of the economy has been on everybody's mind lately and we at the Farm are no exception, although issues like mortagage foreclosures and bank failures don't directly affect us here. We don't use credit cards, have a stock portfolio or even use a checking account to pay for things. Keeping our life as uncluttered as possible, we stay pretty much in control of what is happening around us most of the time, unless it is insect or weather related. We have an extremely simple lifestyle.

The exception to that is our business. Being organic farmers, who operate a CSA, our main mission is trying to help families put healthy, local, REAL organic food on their tables, at a reasonable cost. When people are watching their budgets and looking for places to cut corners many times the food budget is hit first. Of course, this affects our business but the larger picture is of greater concern to us here at New Moon. We genuinely care about the health and well-being or our family, friends and customers or we wouldn't be doing what we do in the first place.

Cutting the family food bill in a financial crunch, either by cutting back in general or by buying lower cost items is commonly one of the first places people look to save money. Unfortunately, the health and well being of one's family shouldn't have to be the place to cut back. If anything, times like these should be the time to take even better care of one's self and family. To be able to deal with the stresses and strains of living in a less than optimum circumstance, a healthy diet should be at the top of the priority list. Studies have proven that stress causes or aggravates conditions from something as simple as the common cold to more serious things like heart disease, obesity, diabetes and others. The human body was designed to deal with stress in amazing ways, but if the body is not operating at peak efficiency, it won't do its job at peak efficiency or with the desired results.

Revelations about buying organic in supermarkets

I hate grocery shopping. I love to cook and so everything I see (except for paper products, etc.)is a potential ingredient for something tasty so I get total sensory overload and buy things I will never use. Because I only buy organic, this can get quite expensive so a trip to the grocer store for me is an exercise in self-control. Once in a while, though, we do go to the supermarket and last week, the Farmer and I went to SuperTarget. It is like sticker shock on a new car, every time we go and this most recent trip was not exception.

(Note: Everything we bought was certified organic, except for the mayo)

• 2 medium sized Slicing Cukes (What a disappointment these things were. I cut the first one and it had a big hard mass of seeds in the middle that I couldn't even cut with a knife and we threw it out. The other one was dry and yellow inside, even though the outside looked perfect.)


• 1 Pgk (7 Small) Tomatoes (Campari's, about the size of a pingpong ball)
  12 ounces was the pkg wgt. They were quite tasty but they didn't go very far.


• 1 Med. Yellow Squash and 1 Med. Zuchinni (pkgd. together - not quite 1# wgt. We had 2 meals from those.)
  
  
• 4 avocados (which were partially black inside...yuck! I made gray guacamole...tasted okay but looked horrendous)


• 1 lb bag of green onions


• 1 Amy's Spinach Pizza (on sale last week so we indulged)


• 2 bags organic frozen french fries (don't ask)


• 1 lb bag carrots (there are 5 carrots in the bag)


• 1 head of broccoli


• 2 boxes of organic oatmeal (on sale)


• 1Pkg of 6 flatbreads


• 2 pkgs organic cheddar cheese (likewise on sale and an indulgence)


• 1 Jar of peanut butter (staple)


• 1 lb organic butter (staple)


• 3 lb. bag of onions (staple) (We already used all but 2 of the onions, 5 were in the bag.)


• 5 lb bag of russet potatoes (staple)


• 1 Jar of Mayo (staple)

That is the entire list of what we bought. If it looks like a lot, it isn't. Everything listed above fit into 3 bags...and the total was $106.87. That means that the average cost of each item listed was about $3.50 (of course some were more, some were less...but that is the average.) I think if I had been buying conventional food, I could have gotten 2 or 3 times as much for my money.

I feel good about the fact that we grow the majority of our own food and that this trip to the market was a relatively rare occurence. I do watch for organic bargains where I can find them and stock up, if and when , it is something that I know we will use. I have been know to buy out an entire stocking of a product, if it is a good deal and I can make good use of it down the road. Organic chicken stock was a recent purchase....I bought 15 cans at less than $1 each.

When I do buy off farm produced items, I am very diligent about certain aspects of what I am purchasing. I never buy organic products from out of the country, unless I know exactly where they came from and the situation with organic certification for the country of origin and/or whether or not it is a fair trade item. Since these items are as scarce as hen's teeth in my culinary world that is not much of a problem for me. But we do like organic raw almonds, for example, ergo I have to get them from a non-local source and I consider them an indulgence, to have once in a while, not a staple food item. I don't know too many people who grow them in this area (although I do know one person with an almond tree, just down the road from our farm).

If you are smart with your organic shopping, you can eat healthy food at a reasonable cost, especially if you supplement your produce with fresh local in season items when you can take advantage of them, preserve things for later when things are in season, and learn to make you own foods from scratch, instead of buying prepared and processed foods. It may be a little more expensive but in the long run you will be healthier and stronger for it and probably a lot more self-sufficient.