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Organic trends starting to catch on here
By LAURA GRIFFITH
The Telegraph
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first
of three articles exploring the revolutionary changes under way in the organic movement.
Like hybrid vehicles that run on biofuel, organic gardening and farming are growing trends in an increasingly
earth-conscious society. A trend that has been around for years on the East and West coasts finally is making its way to the Midwest.
But what makes a product organic?
Among other labels one might
see when shopping for health foods, "organic" is the only label regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculure, said Paula Robinson, Macoupin County director at the University of Illinois Extension, in a newsletter
distributed earlier this year.
National standards set forth by the USDA on Oct. 21, 2002, state that products labeled "organic" must be produced without using pesticides or fertilizers, must not contain
synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge and cannot be bioengineered or undergo ionizing radiation.
Other labels can be misleading to consumers. For instance, "made with organic ingredients" means that the
product contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients, while "contains organic ingredients" does not guarantee that, Robinson said. Products labeled "natural" or "locally grown" do not have to meet national
standards, and consumers should ask sellers what they mean to get specifics.
"This is very popular on the West Coast and the East Coast. The Midwest is catching up," said Brett Smalley, who, with his wife,
Marilyn Smalley, owns an organic gardening store called Fertile Ground, in Cottage Hills.
The store is seeing a rise in business, with about 20 people in and out per day, Marilyn Smalley said. "This is the
first summer we've seen a lot of activity," she said.
Bill Shoemaker, a senior research specialist in food crop agriculture with the University of Illinois Extension, said the trend is consumer-driven.
"Consumers are very interested in organic food products," he said. "The market is reflecting that."
Shoemaker said organic produce is the fastest-growing sector of the food market. The reason Shoemaker
figures it has taken the Midwest so long to catch on might be because it tends to be a more conservative place culturally, he said. "The West was a leader in terms of developing the organic concept," he said. "New
England was right there with the West Coast. They tend to be a more liberal people culturally."
Also, issues that make organic farming more challenging include diseases and insects that plague the produce,
which isn't such a big deal on the coasts as it is in the Midwest, which has higher humidity, he said.
"It's about money, unfortunately; it all ties into big business," Brett Smalley said, noting that
non-organic foods can contain chemicals, modified genes and preservatives that make them last longer, as well as look bigger and tastier. "Usually, organic won't look as good. It's natural, so things won't be as big
or colorful," Marilyn Smalley said. "They're altering that."
Growing and eating organically does tend to cost more, because the production tends to cost more, she said. "Organic farming can be more
expensive, but if you think of health care, (it's worth it)," she said.
It costs more because it is more challenging and labor-intensive than conventional farming, although if done properly, its yields can
be similar, Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker works in research and education at the St. Charles Research Farm near the western edge of Chicago as a fruit and vegetable specialist. "We're in the process of setting
up organic research operations," he said. New farmers actually are getting into organics more and more, Shoemaker said.
The U of I Extension even has a program in its College of Agriculture called agro
ecology, which focuses on sustainable production, the core value of organic farming, he said. It's a system of farming and cultivating that doesn't deplete the soil's resources, he said.
"There are some
conventional farmers who do a good job avoiding that," he said. "(But) organics are really, really good for the soil quality." However, fewer farmers are switching over, Shoemaker said. "Most of them view the
organic enterprise as too risky," he said.
Area has few outlets for organic produce
By LAURA GRIFFITH
The Telegraph
There are
a few places in the Metro East where the trend is only starting to catch on - where the health-conscious can find the information and produce they need to "go organic."
Outside of Whole Foods Market and
other health food stores in St. Louis, Edwardsville's Green Earth Grocery offers a variety of organic and health foods for the body-conscious consumer on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
Cleta's
Nutrition in Alton also offers health foods and other products, including those that are organic, only on a smaller scale.
Cindy Conner of Green Earth Grocery said the store also sells a variety of
supplements and provides information for those wanting to learn more about healthy living. "When they come in the door, they have a lot of questions. We have a lot of books," she said.
Lining the shelves of
the store are a variety of teas that claim to be able to aid a person in dieting, detoxification, immune support, PMS relief and sleep.
Gluten-free cookies, different types of oatmeal and rice cereals,
organic baking chocolate and dairy-free ice cream are on display among well-known and slightly less well-known brands, such as Kashi, Back to Nature and Amish Delight. Pastas come in organic vegetable corkscrews and
shells. Giant, scoopable jars filled with organic sunflower seeds, whole grains and fruit mixes mimic candy jars one might see at a regular grocery store.
"We eat a lot of junk. We make ourselves allergic to
it a lot of times," Conner said. "Most conditions that happen, there's a natural way to fix it. The difference is it will take a little longer, but it's better for the body that way." Conner has been working in
health food stores for two years and has been with Green Earth, which has been open for about 30 years now, for one.
When shopping at a regular grocery store, many of the foods have preservatives and other
additives that deplete the nutrition in them, she said; whereas at a health food store, the ingredients are all good.
Organic foods are pesticide- and herbicide free, but people have to be careful to
understand what the labels mean. "Natural" and "organic" might not mean the same things, although both can give a person more nutrition, Conner said.
"Natural" is a term that can be used loosely when it
comes to foods, Conner said. They don't have to meet national standards, unlike products labeled organic, which must be produced without using pesticides or fertilizers, must not contain synthetic ingredients or
sewage sludge, and cannot be bioengineered or undergo ionizing radiation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"When you go to the store, the word 'organic' will be on the product itself," Conner
said.
Marilyn and Brett Smalley, owners of Fertile Ground Organic Garden in Cottage Hills, know what they're talking about when customers ask why they should go organic. They know from experience; they've done it
themselves.
Since 2003, their store has sold products for growing, for enriching soils and hydroponics, and for natural pest control. The couple has been growing and eating their own organic produce, as
well.
The couple calls fast-food restaurants and unhealthy food "dead," and said they always feel bad after eating them. "The only way to get living enzymes is to eat living food," Brett Smalley said about
organic produce.
"We're not big farmers," his wife, Marilyn Smalley, said. "We just saw a difference. The difference that we felt physically made sense."
Food that is bad for the body actually rots
in your colon, Marilyn Smalley said. "Basically, it's killing you," she said. "That's where you get your cancers."
"Your body is designed to heal itself," Brett Smalley said. "(But) it can't if you're putting junk in."
During a trip to Guatemala, the couple met a mortician who told them during conversation that he doesn't
have to buy as much embalming fluid anymore, because of all the preservatives in peoples' food these days, they said.
"We need to wake up and change our lifestyles," Marilyn Smalley said, insisting that she
and her husband are not Earth-crazy fanatics, as some might think. "Get informed and find out yourself."
People are slowly coming around, Conner said.
"A lot of people will come in, and they want to try and eat better," she said.
Those looking for the "magic bullet" when it comes to weight loss should know that there isn't one, however, and should be
warned that just because a product is organic or healthy doesn't mean they can eat the whole box, she said.
Conner also warned that limiting oneself to only eating organically can be a double-edged sword.
People need to build up antibodies, which they aren't doing by eating organic items only, she said. "The world is not organic. I think people need to balance that a little bit," she said.
Information is key to an organic lifestyle - books, magazines, pamphlets, fliers, the Internet - all of which are available at home, as well as at stores such as Green Earth and Fertile Ground.
Those who
don't have time to grow and/or juice their own can find such produce in grocery stores such as Green Earth, in some supermarkets or by participating as a shareholder in a community garden.
Community gardens are growing trend
By LAURA GRIFFITH
The Telegraph
EDITOR'S NOTE: Organic is in — from stores to farms to health foods and commercial
products. This is the third of a three-part series exploring the revolutionary changes under way in the "natural" movement.
Now that people are starting to learn about the benefits of growing, buying and
consuming organic products, they might want to know how to get their hands on some.
Aside from purchasing their produce in a market or health food store, growing their own or participating as a shareholder
in a community garden are two of their freshest options.
Kris Larson is the head farmer at LaVista Community Garden in Godfrey, where he says 120 families come for fresh produce every other week.
The
garden started five years ago as a project of the Oblate Ecological Initiative, Larson said. More than 60 community members, primarily through Ss. Peter and Paul Church, all chipped in their fees for membership and
hired a head farmer to start off, he said.
Larson buys many of his soil amendments, worm castings and more from Fertile Ground Organic Garden in Cottage Hills in order to maintain the garden's high quality
of organic produce, because there aren't that many places similar to it in the area, he said. Fertile Ground, which opened in March 2003, carries organic products for growing, enriching soils and naturally
controlling pests.
"There's not as much here as there are in California or New England, where I've also farmed, but it's becoming a lot more common," he said. "We need a lot more farmers doing this stuff,
and that's happening."
The members are called shareholders, who agree to fund the farm's produce up front - $500 for a full season and $300 for a half season - and get to pick up fresh produce every other
week, Larson said.
That model of community-supported agriculture is expanding across the country, he said.
Even LaVista itself has shown growth over the years — from 66 families the first year to 120
the third year, the number it maintains today, Larson said.
"We're totally organic. One of the things is that our members are guaranteed the freshest produce out there, picked that day. They get the
freshest, highest quality of food," Larson said. "They're also getting high-quality organic produce at the lowest costs, no shipping costs or marketing."
The garden produces 20 varieties of lettuce and more
than 20 varieties of tomatoes, for starters. It also features a pick-your-own field with nine or 10 crops shareholders can come out and pick on their own.
"It's just a much higher-quality product. We can
grow much tastier products than what can be shipped," Larson said. "We choose varieties for flavor and nutrition rather than shelf life, because we're not trying to ship them. We're marketing directly to our
customers. I know who these people are, and I know why it's important to improve and get better every year."
Growing their own produce is another way consumers can get exactly what they want, which is what
Fertile Ground owners Marilyn and Brett Smalley do.
Their store sells a variety of organic produce from a grower in Greenfield - sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, squash, peppers, zucchini and more - but its
main objective is to help others grow and maintain their own gardens.
Along with the health benefits people receive from growing and consuming organic produce, the Smalleys say the Earth also reaps many
benefits.
Using organic fertilizers and pesticides replenishes the soil and guarantees that more can be grown in it for a longer period of time without depletion, they said.
Although adding chemical
fertilizers or pesticides to a lawn or garden produces results fast, the consequences aren't worth it, Brett Smalley said.
"All that stuff is killing the ecosystem in the soil," he said.
The
chemicals kill off the worms, which are an intricate part of the ecosystem, nature's "garbage disposals." The worms work to decompose the leaves and grass, which people feel they need to haul away in truckloads
these days, he said.
Fertile Ground sells eco-friendly pest-deterrents such as ladybugs, wasps and spiders, as well as organic fertilizers made from worm and chicken feces to keep customers' soil rich year
after year.
Chemicals can pose another problem in the form of runoff into people's gardens and into the food they eat. That can be avoided by practicing layered gardening or indoor gardening, an option that
allows people to grow their own organic produce year-round.
Fertile Ground has its own "grow room," where the Smalleys can play God to their plants by supplying them with light and moisture and by feeding
them whatever they wish the plants to taste like, the couple said.
Supplies to get started with indoor growing, which is a growing trend, are also available at Fertile Ground, as are compost bins,
greenhouses and hydroponics.
The store gets lot of interest from older and younger people alike, Marilyn Smalley said. People don't always know how to go about changing their ways. That's why Fertile Ground
offers books, magazines and fliers, so people can get information about getting started in organics.
Once a person gets into organic growing, they start learning more and more about its benefits, Marilyn
Smalley said. She said each household could make an impact on the ecosystem by cleaning up its own yard and garden.
HELPFUL INFORMATION
People can limit the amount of genetically modified
foods they consume by growing and eating their own organic produce. Here's how:
- Recognize insect pests and use organic pest control. Some insects are important to the soil and the ecosystem.
- Practice organic weed control. People consider weeds undesirable, but they really are just plants. However, they can be prevented by avoiding improper watering, soil compaction, insect damage and disease. Hand
weeding is another organic-friendly option. Turn the weeds into the soil. Use barriers by laying down plastic or newspaper (which can be broken down by the soil) around the plants, and cover with a layer of
straw. Use live mulches - a fast-growing short plant like thyme to cover the surface soil. Use a cover crop in the fall, so the soil is ready to go in the spring. Corn gluten meal also can be applied as a
pre-emergent weed killer.
- Build your soil. By adding organic matter, you are feeding both your soil and your plants, strengthening its ability to retain both moisture and oxygen, and injecting life into your garden by adding a multitude
of beneficial microorganisms.
- Fertilize your garden with organic compost.
- Use organic mulches. There are many materials that can be used for mulching, both organic and inorganic, and usually they can be obtained for free or for next to nothing, such as alfalfa hay, cocoa beans,
shells, corncobs (ground up into small pieces), grass clippings, shredded leaves, peat moss, straw, newspaper or brown paper bags.
- Attract beneficial insects, instead of using pesticides. Design and plant your yard or garden so it contains perennial beds or areas that remain undisturbed each year. A profusion of flowering plants attracts
beneficial flies and wasps to the garden. Herbs attract pests' natural enemies to the garden. An "insect bath," or a small birdbath with tiny gravel islands in the water, keeps insects around without drowning
them.
(Info from Community Gardening Organization in upstate New York.)
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