What is Organic

You have heard organic this, organic that. Maybe you think it's a load of talk, maybe you are a hard core organic lover or maybe you just don't care. Either way you should educate yourself so you can form an opinion yourself. Knowledge is power and power is everything.

What does the word organic mean? Basically, in terms of fruits and vegetables the word organic means that they were grown naturally. They were grown without the help of any pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetic engineering, Ionizing radiation or sewage sludge. When the word organic is used in reference with dairy products; eggs, yogurt, milk it means the animals that produced that product were raised without growth hormones.

Before we go any further lets talk about some terms that were thrown around. Pesticides, what are they? Pesticides are formulas and substances that repel, destroy or prevent any pest that might threaten a crop. Synthetic fertilizers are products designed and manipulated by scientists, some contain phosphorus others contain nitrogen. Synthetic fertilizers were invented after the domestication of crops. Genetic engineering refers to the modification of the DNA of living organisms.  Basically, strands from several different sources are combined to create a genetically modified "NEW" DNA molecule. Ionizing radiation is energy from once source to another that produces unstable atoms. Sewage sludge is the contamination of sewage in the agricultural water sources.

Organic is using nature's tools and recipes to grow and raise crops and animals. Organic has become increasingly popular as more and more scares have surfaced due to the domestication of farming; salmonella breakouts, E Coli, mad cow disease just to name a few. As the amount of food related illness and viruses spread the more people turn to organic. Nearly all major stores stock organic produce and dairy. Not only will organic offer pure foods, safe from the harmful effects that can accompany the scientific helpers they are very tasty. Top class chiefs are using everything organic due to the taste and quality of the products.