Feeding our families... Practical advice on buying organic.

I should be trying to get some sleep, but my mind is just reeling from an article that I just read.

As a physics teacher, I have witnessed first-hand the rise in frequency of developmental and learning disorders that are burdening our children. We see the effects but due to the complexity of the disorders, we cannot clearly identify the causes. We do know that the explosion of the situation coincides with the development and widespread use of neurotoxins in our daily surroundings.

So you're probably wondering why I'm writing about this in a food blog. The answer is really simple: I love those whom I feed. I want to nourish and protect them, and it's up to me. You see, we are currently in a 1940s state of mind when it comes to organophosphate pesticides. Let me explain.

As far back as the 1940s, doctors had evidence that lead exposure was harmful to children. It caused lower IQ and even mental retardation. So doctors advised mothers not to allow their babies to put hands or toys in their mouths. This makes me laugh because as a mom, I know what an impossible goal this is. It was not until 1977 that lead was outlawed in paint!

In 2011, we KNOW that neurotoxic pesticides and herbicides are harming the brain development and function of our children, yet the most we can do is to buy organic when it's available and keep such chemicals out of our homes, lawns, gardens, and pets. How long will it take our legislators to do something substantial about this pandemic? We shall see.

Now I have a unique perspective. I am a country girl. I know how much farmers and ranchers feel they need these chemicals to protect crops and livestock. They're going to be a hard sell. However, increased production of items that are harming the public at large are not helping America. What can you do to protect your family? The list is long, but I'm going to focus on the food aspect of it all.

Buying organics isn't cheap. My family operates on a budget as I'm sure most families do. So I'm here to help you make choices that protect your family while keeping your budget in mind.

The Dirty Dozen

The Environmental Working Group analyzed produce departments to find items with the most residual pesticides. These are the ones you should buy organic if you can. You can get a handy printable from their website to tuck in your bag as a shopping reference.

Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Cherries
Kale/Collard greens
Potatoes
Grapes (imported)

The Clean Fifteen

On the other hand, these were the cleanest items.

Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mangoes
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potatoes
Honeydew Melon

What I've noticed is that many of the "Dirty Dozen" are items we eat without peeling while many of the "Clean Fifteen" are thing that we peel. I can't help but feel that this plays some role in removing the risk. However, we don't want to lose the vital nutrients in the apple's peel for example.

If your grocery store doesn't carry the organic items you wish to buy, let the manager know. They would much rather stock items that they know people want! Even better, try your hand at growing some of these things yourself! As I work my garden, I will share my tips to organically and safely fertilizing and dealing with pests.

I guess that even when I'm not in the classroom, I still feel passionately about sharing important information. The science is sound. The proof is there. It's up to us to do something about it.

Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!

Gardening time is here at last!

I am hanging my head in shame right now. Literally! I've gotta pick my chin up and tell you the truth... I'm having Internet issues and time management issues. All that being said, I'm vowing to myself not to be a blogging dead beat. I can do it ALL from my amazing 3G iPad!!

Many of you may see the date of this post and shake your head in disbelief at the post title. But let me tell ya, it was 75 beautiful degrees here in south Texas today! I polished my toe nails and got out my favorite pair of flip flops!! It's been this way for a week and the weather dude says it's more of the same for the foreseeable future!

Please don't hate me because I'm not freezing in February. Believe me, I'll be whining about the heat beginning in July and ending around mid October. But for now, I'm loving it. My boys are loving playing outside, the hubby is loving giving our little one wagon rides in the pasture, and I'm loving digging in the dirt.

I've been planning my garden for a while now. You see, I haven't had the space or time for a garden for about 5 years. I'm itching to plant. Our new house has lots of flower beds and even has several raised vegetable beds that were practically ready to go. I started weeding and turning the soil and was pleasantly surprised to find soil that is loamy, full of organic composted material, and teeming with earth worms. The abundance of earth worms, tree frogs, and geckos around the yard tell me that the previous owners were not heavy pesticide users. That makes me happy! My goal is to have a totally organic garden for my family.

However, there is an issue tugging on the reins of my gardening excitement: just about the time my garden will be in peak production, I will be producing a little something of my own... Another sweet little baby boy! So while I will and now do have a garden, it is not an overly ambitious effort this year.

Since the beds were already worked soil that only needed to be weeded and cultivated, my sweet husband got me a Black and Decker 18 volt cordless cultivator to use. It's absolutely awesome! So I prepared the soil with some of nature's finest fertilizer (did I mention that I have chickens?) and worked it in with my spiffy power tool. I got my Texas 1015 sweet onions and my red onions planted today. I cut my seed potatoes into planting pieces today, so I'll wait a week to plant them. Their cuts need to "heal" so they won't rot before they sprout. I'm planting red potatoes because I love them. I also went a bit nuts at the feed store when I saw their tomato plants. I bought 16 Romas and 16 Better Boys. Both varieties do very well in my region. I'll let you in on my secret to starting tomato plants early in a few days! I love canning my own tomatoes, so that's why I went so nuts. I guess I'll can until the new baby gets here and then share what we can't eat.

So along with recipes, I'll be posting about my garden. I promise to share the good and the bad. I'm trying to keep a record of what I do so that I can reflect and improve. It IS my first time to do a totally organic garden, so if you have any pointers I'd be glad to hear them!

What are you going to plant this year?

Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!