Allison, Home Made Magic: Hi Amber, thanks so much for doing this interview. Tell me a little about how you got into organic gardening.
Amber, Organic Uprising: I grew up with parents who always encouraged us to play outside, to dig in the dirt, to plant flowers, and to grow vegetables. I have always been interested in gardening and knowing that I CAN grow food for myself and my family is empowering. I enjoy seed saving, and I get overly excited when I find an heirloom variety that I haven’t had access to before. I almost feel like it’s a great honor and a great duty entrusted to me when I gain access to a variety like this. It’s so important for the seeds to remain pure to that exact variety. Sometimes this is difficult to do, but we can all do our best to educate ourselves and take part.
HMM: That's so true! I love that last statement about getting educated. So tell me, why is it so important to eat organic?
OU: Wow! This is a topic we could literally talk about for days… maybe even months or years. Where do I even start? I guess, if I can be totally honest, I don’t think we should necessarily focus on why we should eat “organic.” Instead, we should focus on what NON-ORGANIC (in most cases in the USA) means. I personally don’t feel that eating chemicals and pesticides is a good idea. I am going to quote this post, because I think you should all read it, too.
“Whenever you have the option, choose organic varieties of food over non-organic. As a general rule, organic foods are safer, and probably healthier, than conventional foods, for the simple fact that you’re ingesting fewer toxins. And, contrary to popular belief, this is actually even more important when it comes to animal products such as meat, dairy products, butter, and eggs While conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and berries are typically heavily sprayed with a wide assortment of pesticides, non-organic animal products tend to be among the most contaminated, as the animals are fed a steady diet of these conventionally grown, pesticide-contaminated and genetically engineered grains.. While I believe organic foods grown in healthy soils can be far more nutritious than their conventional counterparts grown in depleted soils with synthetic chemicals, a major benefit of organically grown foods really is the reduction in your toxic load." (source)
HMM: That is exactly why I'm on this journey! Most people ingest so many toxins without even realizing it. Our family is on a tight budget, but we are working hard to clean up our eating. How can families like ours afford organic foods on a budget?
OU: Honestly, there are so many ways you can be frugal while still eating a healthy and organic diet. First of all: GARDEN! Did you think I could leave that part out? ;) In reality, almost everyone can grow SOMETHING almost anywhere. Even if you’re just growing a small herb or salad garden, that is going to end up saving you money in that department! We spend most of our grocery shopping time and money with local farmers, local community gardens, and markets. I am typically able to purchase much more for my money this way.
Another thing to keep in mind: if you try replacing all of your junk food with the organic versions of these junk foods, your grocery bill will SKY ROCKET! Instead, invest in good quality spices and baking ingredients. Allison, I know you already bake your bread at home, and you have been doing so for quite a while! This is exactly what I’m talking about! Concentrate on making real food. Spend your money on produce; buy your grains, rice, quinoa, and beans in bulk. You can even find places online to order a lot of these items if you can’t do this at your local super markets.
Buy meats from a farmer in bulk and freeze. We ALWAYS buy meat for the freezer. This is a huge money saver. We only buy meat when it is on sale or a good deal (a lot of times farmers will have specials if you buy “x” amount of pounds). Another thing to think about is that the typical American eats way TOO MUCH MEAT on a daily basis. A great rule for meat consumption is 3-4 ounces of meat per day, and if you’re not a big meat eater already, you can do 3-4 ounces per day only 3-5 times per week. Cutting your meat consumption down to an appropriate level will help your budget as well. “But what about the protein?”
Honestly, every person is different when it comes to EXACTLY how much protein you need to eat to survive and thrive, but you probably don’t need all of the protein from all of the meat you’re eating, and if you do, you can (and should) balance your protein intake between a variety of sources including fresh organic meats, beans, grains, greens, seeds, nuts, raw milk, and more. There are days (sometimes multiple in a row) when I eat ZERO meat. I still obtain all of the protein I need through a variety of sources.
HMM: Alternate protein sources have been a big money saver for us lately, so I love that you mentioned that! We live in a very rural area, nowhere near a Trader Joes or Whole Foods. What are some other good sources for safe and healthy organic items that we might not think of?
OU: Let me start with this: I don’t shop at either of those stores on a very regular basis, so it’s absolutely not necessary to have those stores close to you! As a matter of fact, I HARDLY shop at Trader Joes, and when I do, I am fairly picky with what I’ll purchase. I have a hard time trusting them. Most of their produce is NOT organic, and neither is most of their boxed/packed food. When reading the ingredients on their packaged foods, I honestly can’t see a LOT of difference between their food and other junk food brands (I will say that I don’t see many artificial dyes or sugars so they have that going for them!). For more on this, check out Food Babe’s post on Trader Joe’s here: http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/07/what-is-trader-joes-hiding/ .
As for where TO shop: being in a rural area can actually have some advantages. You MIGHT be near farms or gardens that you don’t know about! Searching for community gardens, farmers markets, and co-ops is a great place to start. We actually participate in all of the above. We can buy most of our fresh foods (produce, meats, eggs, raw milk, etc.) directly from local farmers and gardeners. We love this for many reasons! The first reason is that I KNOW my food! I know the people who have cultivated and loved it from the beginning until the end. As far as price goes, some of the items are the same as the organic varieties in a typical grocery store, some are cheaper, and very few are more expensive. Example: a gallon of Horizon organic whole milk at the Sprouts grocery store near my house is about $8. I pay $7 for my gallon of REAL (raw) milk from my farmer (to learn more about the importance of raw milk, go to: www.realmilk.com ). Why would I pay $1 more for something of less quality? I often am able to purchase over a week’s worth of produce and meats for $50 by purchasing from my local farmers and gardeners.
Another place to check is your local supermarket. We have Kroger here where we live currently, but we had Publix when we lived in Florida. Both of these stores have entire sections of their stores dedicated to organic and natural foods (watch out, though! If you don’t see something in the natural foods section, it might be placed in the normal area. Example: Once, I was looking for store brand organic strawberry jam, and it was not located with the other organic jams, but it was placed with all of the jams in the “normal aisles”).
HMM: That's true! Even our big Meijer Superstore offers a ton of great natural and organic options. You just have to know what to look for! Now, I have heard lots of concern recently about consuming “GMOs”. Can you talk a little about what that means?
OU: This is another topic that we can talk about for days (or months… or years). I would love for all of you to check out a post on my website directed towards this issue. Here you will find a video clip of a popular scientist who gives terrible misinformation on the subject. I explain what he is REALLY talking about (cross pollination and hybridization) VS what GMO (Genetically modified organisms) are. I also provide several resources as well as an additional video clip of another person’s rebuttal to the first clip. Make sure to check out all of the resources I provide as well as the “additional concerns.” Dig in! http://organicuprising.com/the-misinformation-from-neil-degrasse
HMM: That's a fantastic post! Thanks for linking that for me. I’ve heard other health foodies mention the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15”. What are they, and what exactly makes them better or worse than other options?
OU: This is a list that, in theory, tells you what 12 produce options you should ALWAYS buy organic, and what 15 produce options that it is more or less “okay” to buy non-organic. This can be a little helpful at times, but the reality is that this list changes. It is updated yearly (if not more). You always have to check. The reason behind it is simple: The “dirty dozen” group is made up of the 12 fruits and veggies most sprayed with pesticides/chemicals. I would rather you just remember to always buy: all apples, all peaches/pitted fruits, all grapes, all greens, all potatoes, all corn, all beans/peas, all berries, all squash and cucumbers, all tomatoes, celery, and carrots organic. Basically, if the produce has a thin or edible skin, buy organic (or grow it in your garden;) ). If you look up this list, you might see that “sweet corn” is often on the “clean 15.” I don’t like to tell people to buy non-organic corn in any form for the simple fact that it is one of the most genetically modified crops.
HMM: That's pretty easy to remember that way, thank you! I would love to get started on my own organic garden at home next year. Do you have any tips or advice?
OU: Make sure you have a space with plenty of light. You don’t have to have a plot of land, but you do need light. I prefer growing in containers, even though I do have a yard to garden. I like the fact that I can move the containers around if I need to. I use giant Smart Pots including: “The Big Bed Jr.”, 30 gallon, 20 gallon, 15 gallon, and 7 gallons. Smart Pots are pretty amazing because they aerate the roots from all directions. They also provide better drainage. Because of these factors, you can grow more plants closer together in a smart pot that you can in a regular pot.
Biggest beginner tips:
-Start small! Don’t over load yourself. Start with a few hardy herbs (wide leaf rosemary and mint are two great options). Try growing a salad garden! Grow several types of lettuce! I like to grow chives and spring onions in my salad gardens, too.
-Only grow things you like to eat. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true.
-Pay attention to how much sun, water, and fertilization your plants are receiving. They need the appropriate amount of each in order to thrive.
-For more info, check out: http://organicuprising.com/container-gardening/
HMM: Where can we go to find out more about organic foods and gardening?
OU: I've linked below some great resources:
- www.OrganicUprising.com
- http://www.organicconsumers.org/
- http://www.naturalnews.com/organic_foods.html
- http://www.dirtdoctor.com/
HMM: Thanks so much for chatting with me today! Is there anything else you would like to share?
OU: I would like to thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your blog this week! I am so proud of you for venturing out and doing what you know is best for your family.
Also, remember that you don’t have to do EVERYTHING at once if it is too overwhelming! Start with one thing at a time, but never stop. Continue to learn, grow, and change! :)
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Wow, what a wealth of info! Please dig into all those great links and get your research going, everyone! Thanks for checking in for this special guest interview, I hope you learned a little something. I know I did!
xo Allison
